Thank You Lord

Some thank the Lord for friends and home,
For mercies sure and sweet;
But I would praise Him for His grace
In prayer I would repeat:

Some thank Him for the flow’rs that grow,
Some for the stars that shine;
My heart is filled with joy and praise,
Because I know He’s mine.

I trust in Him from day to day,
I prove His saving grace;
I’ll sing this song of praise to Him
Until I see His face.

Chorus
Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul,
Thank you, Lord, for making me whole;
Thank you, Lord, for giving to me
Thy great salvation so rich and free.

I have decided to send the “Hymn of the week” out a little earlier since I will traveling early this week, and so may many of you. 

As Thanksgiving fast approaches, I am sure all of us are looking forward to a few days off work, some good food, good fellowship, and quality time with loved ones.  I hope for you this time of the year is also about having a thankful heart and attitude.  That kind of attitude speaks volumes in a world where it seems as if everyone around us is ungrateful.  Family members can take one another for granted.  Businesses often times take their customers or employees for granted.  Employees can take having a job for granted.  And although I hate to say it, Christians can take the Lord for granted too.  Unfortunately, in a culture where the word “abundance” describes many parts of our lives (food, media, choices, freedoms, etc.), thankfulness does not always appear to be in abundance in our lives.

This particular hymn is actually a little unusual as far as “thanksgiving” hymns go.  Most have a litany of things to be thankful for, and are good reminders of all the blessings we have.  This hymn, however, focuses on being thankful for one thing.  A thankfulness for saving grace which provides each of us an eternity in heaven.  The other unusual thing about this hymn is that the chorus is probably well-known to all of you as it was me, but I had never heard the verses before.  The chorus was often times sung during a time of invitation or commitment, but I am thankful that the words in the verses are just as good as the chorus is, and they are definitely worth spending some time on.

Couple of comments on the hymn:

• Verses 1 and 2 – After reading these verses, I find myself in the “Some” camp.  Thanking God for friends, home, flowers, trees, stars, and so many of the blessings we get to enjoy daily.    I don’t necessarily see anything wrong with that kind of thankfulness because I believe it is a recognition of God’s goodness to us, and how He blesses us in both big and small ways everyday.  However, having my thankfulness in the right priority is, I think, what the author was trying to get to.  The question I ask myself is, “Would I still be thankful for salvation if I did not have a loving family, a loving wife, and three great kids?”  “Would I have a thankful attitude if I were homeless and living on the street, but had eternal salvation for my soul?”  I know what the answer should be, but I don’t know if I would necessarily act accordingly.  The reality for all of us is that if the only gift or blessing God had given us was salvation, that would be the best gift we could ever receive.  That is a gift, that as Paul says, is “Indescribable” and merits all the thanks we can give Him.  Keeping that kind of perspective and priority is difficult for me, but I am glad the author of this hymn helps me put things in the right order.

• “I’ll sing this song of praise” – As you all know, I am partial to great old hymns about the Lord.  Hymns can teach us some good theology, but also are great reminders of how awesome God is, and how He is worthy of our praise.  Hymns like “Great is Thy faithfulness,” “How Great Thou Art,” “The Love of God,” and “Praise Him, Praise Him” are examples of songs of praise that we should sing, and sing on a regular basis.  These kinds of hymns help us keep the right perspective.  The perspective of how big our God is compared to our problems.  The perspective that all the blessings we have far outnumber the problems we face on a daily basis.  Singing songs like these have a wonderful way of changing us, and keeping our hearts right.  I hope you, too, can echo the author’s sentiment and sing songs of praise to the Lord.

Are you a “Thank You” note kind of person?  It’s the kind of person that I admire, and get mad at all in the same breath.  They do the little things (sending an 89 cent card with a 42 cent stamp with words of appreciation) that have a big impact on me.  The hymn “Little is much when God is in it” comes to mind when I think of someone like this.  Their words of thanks make me feel good… and bad all at the same time.  I feel good that I receive the card, and then feel convicted that I don’t do the same kinds of things more often myself because I know down deep those small things are blessings to others.  (For those of you that know Brother Wayne Chambers, he is this kind of person).

I am also guilty of this same negligence when it comes to the Lord.  I ask myself “When was the last time you wrote God a “Thank You” note?”  Yes, I realize God doesn’t have P.O. Box to send a card to.  I can’t overnight him a letter telling Him about all the great things He has done for me.  But what if I did sit down, and write out all the things that I can be thankful for.  What if I put on paper an expression of my thanks to God?  Do you know who would get the blessing?  Yes, I am sure the Lord would love to hear from His children, and He is blessed when we offer our words of thanksgiving.  But the reality is, I would be blessed by that kind of exercise.  I would be the one reminded and touched by His great compassion, care, provision, and love.  So, I encourage you.  Take a few minutes (or maybe an hour or two), sit down and write a “Thank You” card to the Lord.  One requirement though.  Start out with being thankful for your salvation.  There is no greater gift we can receive.  THANK YOU, LORD!!