Giving Thanks in Song (Part 2)
Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
Last week we started looking at some songs that incorporate the idea of thanksgiving. “Count your blessings” is another song of thankfulness. It is very difficult to look at all the blessings that surround us on a daily basis and not be thankful. Naming those blessings one by one calls us to thankfulness for each one. It moves us to consider the magnitude of detail for which we may be thankful.
A more recent song of thankfulness simply states: “Thank you Lord for loving me / and thank you Lord for blessing me. / Thank you Lord for making me whole / and saving my soul. / Thank you Lord for loving me. / Thank you Lord for saving my soul.” These very simple lyrics could not be more profound for they convey in few words the essence of what thankfulness entails: the expression of the creature’s total and complete dependence upon the Creator.
And we need to cultivate this attitude of thankfulness as we sing praises to God whether we are saying the words “Thank you” or not. One may experience the thankful attitude—the attitude of realizing our dependence upon God—in every song we sing. Whether we sing “Praise Him, Praise Him,” “Kneel at the cross,” “Whate’er You Do in Word or Deed” or “‘Tis Midnight and On Olive’s Brow” we are acknowledging dependence upon God. One cannot truly realize this dependence and not offer a word of thanksgiving. Brethren, let us be thankful (Colossians 3:15).
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley