Mensa Otabil - Give Thanks for His Goodness
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This is day number 38 of our 40 days of power. We’re almost there; we have two more days to go. The Lord has been so good to us during this time as we have waited upon Him. So, we’re going to spend the last three days of our 40 days of power in thanksgiving, thanking the Lord for who He is and what He has done for us. Psalm 107, verses 8 and 9: «Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness.» God is good. We say it very often, and sometimes it sounds like a cliché, but that is a very important truth: that God is good. God’s goodness is not a passive goodness; it’s an active goodness, a goodness that does good. So, God is good, and He does good things. His goodness is what we celebrate, and we thank Him for His goodness, which comes out of His love. Because He loves us, He is good to us.
Our passage for today focuses on three things that God does as a result of His goodness. The first thing is that He does wonderful works. In the context of this psalm, Psalm 107, the wonderful works that the psalmist talks about are God’s act of deliverance of Israel from Egypt, right through the desert into the Promised Land. Those are the wonderful works that God has done.
In our context, the wonderful works of God include saving us from sin, delivering us from the power of Satan, bringing us the Kingdom of God, filling us with His Holy Spirit, and all the things that God does and continues to do for us. I believe that in these 40 days of power, we have seen God do wonderful things for us. Most of you have testimonies to share, and you have experienced God at a deeper level as you wait on Him. «All that men will give thanks to God for His wonderful works,» and I believe that He has done wonderful works for you.
The second reason why the psalmist says we should thank God for His goodness is that He satisfies the longing soul. The longing soul is a person who has a deep yearning for God, a deep desire to know God. He or she wants to come into the presence of God, and the passage says that when we come to God with a yearning in our hearts to know Him, He will satisfy us. That’s what we’ve been doing these 40 days as we’ve been praying, fasting, and waiting on the Lord-our hearts are yearning for Him. We want to know Him, encounter Him, and have a spiritual experience. The passage says God satisfies the longing soul, and I pray that you will receive that satisfaction; that your spirit will be enriched, your walk with God will be deepened, your faith will rise to a high level, and you’ll begin to see the wonderful works of God at a multiplied level.
That is why we thank God for His goodness, because He satisfies the longing soul. Thirdly, the passage says He fills the hungry soul with good. Those who are hungry, in this instance, are those who have a physical need that they want God to meet. They want God to work a miracle, to turn the situation around, and to provide for them. A physical need has to be met; hunger has to be met. God says that He will fill your soul with His goodness, and because of that, we thank Him. For all the times we’ve been praying from day one to now, day number 38, we’ve talked to God. He’s not deaf; He hears, and because He hears, we believe that He’s working. He’s given us wonderful works, He’s satisfying the longing soul, and He’s filling the hungry with His goodness. That is a cause for celebration and thanking God, and I believe that as we end our 40 days of power this week, we are going to burst forth into praise, into worship, into celebration because of all the good things that God has done for us.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, You have been so good to me. Your presence satisfies my soul. Thank You for meeting all my needs. In Jesus' name, Amen.» I believe God has already done it because He is a good God. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. I’ll catch you again tomorrow. Shalom, peace, and life to you.