“I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.” 116:17
Luke tells us in his Gospel account that during His last supper with the disciples, Jesus took the bread and the cup, and then, gave thanks. This was the night before His death. Obviously, He was not giddy in His emotions, but He was deliberate in the exercise of His will in obedience to Father’s plan as He offered what I would call, a “sacrifice of thanksgiving”.
Similarly, some scholars believe the historical setting of Psalm 116 was the trauma King Hezekiah experienced when Isaiah the prophet announced the king’s terminal illness. The background can be read in 2 Kings 20:1-11; 2 Chronicles 32:24-26 and Isaiah 38.
This psalm is extremely personal as the author refers to his own experiences 37x, ranging from the good, the bad to the ugly. Let’s run this psalm through a slow-motion replay and listen as Hezekiah gives us a frame by frame commentary on what he was going through spiritually.
William Bradford must have offered a “sacrifice of thanksgiving” as the Pilgrims offered thanksgiving in the early autumn of 1621. Less than one year before that Thanksgiving, while the Mayflower was anchored off Provincetown Harbor, the Pilgrims sent out several expeditions of men to explore the region to seek out the best place to build their colony. While William Bradford was away on one of these explorations, on December 7, 1620, his wife, Dorothy, fell off the Mayflower into the freezing waters of Provincetown Harbor, and drowned.
We can arrange our learning from this psalm around five fingers that King Hezekiah will slowly open up to the Lord as he offers to God his “sacrifice of thanksgiving.” As we approach Thanksgiving, perhaps this is a tougher year than unusual for you. If so, then follow Hezekiah’s example in offering thanks to God and praying about your hardships, praying not based upon feelings but faith. Giving thanks to God not because you are in a comfortable situation but because the Lord is worthy of praise.
Anguish beneath my praying, 116:3, 6, 10-11
Attention to my praying, 116:2, 4
Answer to my praying, 116:1-2, 6-9
Attitude with my praying, 116:5, 15-17
Advancing after my praying, 116:7, 13-14, 18-19
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Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/
