Saturday, November 18, 2023  

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Today’s Scripture Reading
Psalm 111

Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.

Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.

He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the Lord is gracious and merciful.

He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant.

He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.

The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.

They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.

He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever. (NRSV)

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Reflection

By this time in November, there is a good chance you’ve already seen the power and majesty of Lake Michigan just a few blocks from church: mighty waves thundering against the shore, inspiring awe and fear, not to mention a healthy dose of respect. Wise is the person who knows that Lake Michigan’s summertime beauty and tranquility are not the lake’s only qualities. Metaphorically, then, compare this to the fear of God we are instructed to embrace in verses 5 and 10. It reminds us that God’s ways are not ours and that a healthy awe of the Creator’s power — a foundational belief in “Thy will be done” — is not a weakness but a faith-rich strength.

Psalm 111 brings us other instructions and assignments. Did you see them as you read through it? Verses 7 and 8 tell us to follow God’s precepts — God’s commandments and moral teachings. Verse 2 tells us to study the works of the Lord and to take delight in them.

As we round the calendar into Thanksgiving week, though, it is verse 1 that awakens us to the essence of the upcoming holiday: “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.” Our assignment here? Bring a whole heart of gratitude to God — not half. A whole heart even amid the escalating tallies of broken hearts, broken homes, broken families, or broken countries.

Many Thanksgivings ago, in a rare move of self-reflection, my father’s sister went around the room and asked everyone to name something for which they were thankful. We had never done this before — and we never did that again. The answers weren’t all that remarkable, but as so often happens, what mattered was the fact that each was heard.

How would our answers have differed all those years ago if we had been expressing thanks not to our assembled family but to God? How might this Thanksgiving be transformed and enriched if we could step back for a moment, focus on our fearful and wonderful Lord, and lift thanks to God with whole hearts?

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Prayer
Creator God, instill in us a full spirit of thanksgiving. And in the words of the hymn “God of the Ages, Whose Almighty Hand,”

Refresh thy people on their toilsome way;

lead us from night to never-ending day;

fill all our lives with love and grace divine,

and glory, laud, and praise be ever thine. Amen.

 

(Hymn text by Daniel Crane Roberts)

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Reflection written by Sarah Forbes Orwig, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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