Day of Thanksgiving

In the middle of yet another heated American election day, I received a call from a friend reminding me to pause and give thanks to God. As I thought about his simple reminder, this refrain from the ancient Israelites also came to mind:

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

As the ark of the covenant entered into Solomon’s Temple, the trumpets blared as the people joined the priests in proclaiming,

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

Again and again and again the refrain sounded across the land. All the while, the people proclaimed and sang about YHWH faithfulness to the covenant. From the seed of David, the Lord had raised up Solomon, a true prince of peace.

During the glory of his reign the Temple was built, nations streamed to Israel and the glory of the Lord truly did stream out of Zion.

As Israel rejoiced in her king and the completion of the Temple, they sang again and again:

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

Beyond the visible Temple or the glory of King Solomon, the people saw the glory of the Lord in His goodness and mercy that extended beyond any limitations of time and space.

Like the people of God from ancient Israel, we join our voices to theirs in thanksgiving as one acclaim of the God’s people from across the ages. This one voice resounds in thanksgiving, recalling again and again that the goodness and mercy of God cannot be restrained but extends beyond all we see, feel, hear, touch and ever know.

He is faithful, and in the midst of the American election returns, we can all proclaim God’s goodness and rejoice in His mercy that establishes His covenant upon the earth and reveals His glory throughout the land.