Is there an attitude of thankfulness for all the blessings we have today? In most countries there is ample food and clothing, especially in Australia where there is an abundance of everything we could possibly require – and many things we do not need! It is such a contrast to the time we were young – during the war and for years after – the awesomely destructive 1939-45 war. But now there is more than plenty of everything – how many are thankful?

We have to say that a thankful spirit is rarely seen, instead the spirit is to seek more and more, especially money – and look for someone to blame (usually the Govt) when it is lacking. This is a line of thinking that occurred to us as we read David’s 69^th Psalm, written at a difficult time of his life, despairing of “those who hate me without a cause” [v.4]. He saw many who lacked any love for God and he says to God, “the reproaches of those who reproached you have fallen on me” [v.9]

Parts of the Psalm become a prophecy of the experiences of his ‘greater son’ Jesus, “I looked for pity, but there was none … for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink” [v.20, 21] Of those who showed no pity, David wrote, “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living” [v.28] and sadly that will also be the lot of all those who do not have the spirit of thankfulness, but instead take everything, as their “right” to possess.

The Psalm starts to reach its climax as David writes, “let your salvation, O God set me on high! I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.” [v.29,30]. We saw a direct parallel to this in our Exodus reading (Ch.15) when “Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD” [v.1] It was a song of thanksgiving, “I will sing to the LORD … he has become my salvation … I will praise him … I will exalt him.” [v.2] Sadly, as we read on in Exodus we see how the great majority failed to maintain their thankfulness and confidence in God. In v. 26 we read that the LORD said to them, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God and do that which is right in his eyes …” [v.26]. Today, we can say, if we will diligently read the word God has caused to be preserved - and believe and live in a way that shows we believe – then – yes then, what a wonderful future will be ours.

While it is a true that a person’s faith is an important element in healing (Matt. 9 v.22), we noticed in our Mark reading today (Chapter 2) that the faith of others can be a vital factor in some healings. We read of the four men who came to Jesus carrying a paralysed man and “when they could not get near him(Jesus) because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic: my son your sins are forgiven you … rise, pick up your bed and go home.” [v.4,5,11]

It was their faith that Jesus reacted to. There is great importance in praying for others, it is a vital part of our efforts to serve God. James writes, “ The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he (or she) will be forgiven … pray for one another … the prayer of a righteous person has great power in its working” [5 v.15,16]

Prayer and faith go hand in hand. Sometimes people speak of having faith in themselves – and some of these only turn to God when all else fails! But we need a faith in the all seeing involvement of Jesus and the Father in our lives every day.

Now it can be only when those with such a faithful attitude look back that they see strange twists in the course of events that they perceive the hand of God at work. Often these are events that cause their faith to grow – and sometimes these events were not seen to be “good” at the time. Did the man who was paralysed and his 4 friends think it was a good event when he became paralysed?

Paul in reasoning with the believers in Corinth in his 2^nd letter, quoted the words of God found in Leviticus, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore … be separate … and I will be a father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters” [Ch.6 v.16-18]. Let us become more conscious of the reality of Jesus being among us, for he said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” [Heb. 13 v.5]

The Psalms are often very personal. We read today of the great things God has done – and will yet do. The more we are conscious of God, the more we should have the heart felt desire to serve him and that, that service should be the very best of which we are capable. It is those who have no real consciousness of the all seeing eye of God who cherish thoughts of sinful ways in their thinking and seem blind to the weaknesses in their character.

Today we read Psalm 66. Remember the Psalms are the Hymn Book of Ancient Israel. Most were designed to be sung in the Temple, so imagine singing this in the Temple Solomon built. “I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble … Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul … If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God truly has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” [v.13,14,16,18,19]

God knows whether we are genuine – even more than we might sometimes be prepared to admit to ourselves. Recall how Jesus, when he was in the temple, taught them “saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” [Mark 11 v.17] That time is now near and those who do not cherish iniquity in their hearts will be there and experience the reality of the opening words of this Psalm!

“Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you …” [ v.1-4] May we be there to sing and offer endless praise.