Thanks For It All

King David obviously loved to praise & worship the Lord in psalm, and we must admit he wrote quite a few.  Among those many Psalms, one theme that occurs again and again is thanksgiving.  Since David, a man after God's own heart, loved to praise in song and singing happens to be a favorite pastime of mine, I'd like to share a few verses of a psalm and then song.

Psalm 136 is a medium-length psalm that has been a favorite of mine for many years, ever since my youth group went over it verse by verse.  It has become special to me over the years because each verse lists the mighty power Jehovah has.  It's a direct reminder of who He is and all He has done, which should remind us of all He still can do.  And I love its uniqueness.  Every verse ends with "for His mercy endureth for ever."  Not only did He do these things, but He did them because His mercy endures forever.  The verses I've chosen to highlight extol a few of Jehovah's wonderful names and describe the creative power that He, our Maker, has.

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:
The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalms 136:1-9, 26

The song I'd like to share with you today carries on with the theme of our Maker.  It is one I haven't heard in at least 10 years.  In fact, I'm not even sure if I'm correctly guessing its title.  I hadn't even thought of it for years, but then one day I tried to recall the lyrics.  Since then I've been trying to track it down.  After many months of searches, I was absolutely thrilled to discover it on a tape I didn't even know existed, let alone packed away in the basement below!  I'm still not sure who to credit as the author or composer, but at least now the lyrics are sure.

Thanks to Your Maker

Did you ever say "thanks" to your Maker?
Did you ever say "thanks" for your sight?
There are many who never see flowers,
There are those who know nothing but night.
There are many who never see springtime
Nor the change of the leaves in the fall
So when you see the dawn of morning
To your Maker say "thanks" for it all.

Did you ever say "thanks" while you listen?
There are those who cannot hear a sound.
Never hear children’s voices and laughter,
For the silence is ever so long.
Never hear the whispering wind in the treetops,
Nor the sound of the leaves in the fall;
So when you hear the voice of your loved one,
To your Maker say "thanks" for it all.

What I love about this song is that it thanks the Lord, who is rightly called our Maker, for the things we so easily take for granted.  It doesn't just mention our senses, but also describes what those senses allow us to enjoy.  The song could even be expanded to encompass other pleasures as well!

On this day of thanksgiving, I hope you truly are giving thanks to whom it is due -  the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, who fainteth not, neither grows weary, of whom there is no searching of His understanding (Isaiah 40:28).  Not just today, but every day & always.

Happy Thanksgiving!