Mensa Otabil - Be Thankful
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This is the final day of our Fresh Start. We started early this month, praying, seeking the face of the Lord, and trusting Him to give us a very successful year. I trust that you have enjoyed the time of prayer and studying the Word of God. I also hope that you’ve used the time to plan out your year and your activities well. Each day is going to be an adventure for us throughout this year. May the Lord bless our efforts.
So we conclude with Psalm 95, verses 1 and 2: «O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us shout joyfully to the rock of our Salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.» Thanksgiving is important; it is an expression of gratitude for all that God has done. Although we’ve just started the year, we are thankful to God for bringing us to the end of the first month. Although we’re not exactly at the end of the month, we are almost done with January.
January is often thought to be a difficult month, but thank God that He has navigated us through. We have also come to the end of Fresh Start, and so today we sing to the Lord and honor God for His grace, for His mercy, for His guidance, for the words we have received, and for the times of prayer and worship that we’ve experienced in the morning and throughout this month. The psalmist says that in our thanksgiving, we have to shout to the Lord. It’s a very interesting phrase; it means to make noise. This means that when you’re thanking God, you cannot be silent about it, and you cannot be too quiet about your thanksgiving. It has to be portrayed; it has to be enthusiastic; it has to be done in such a way that it can be heard.
We thank God for what He has done for us, and may you lift up a shout of praise to the Lord. I pray that throughout 2023, your life will be a shout of praise. Now, wherever you are, whatever you do, and wherever you go, the noise of God’s goodness upon your life will be heard and experienced. May the Lord give you success in all that you do. The psalmist says that the Lord is the rock of our salvation. That means He is the one we lean on; He is the one who keeps us safe and secure. We can trust God that throughout all the unpredictable months ahead of us, God is the rock of our salvation. May He who has brought us this far take us through to the end of the year.
May the Lord be your rock. It says that we come before His presence with thanksgiving, being conscious that every day of this year, we are in the presence of God. You may be going through difficulty, but the Lord is ever present with you. The Lord is always your guide; the Lord is always your strength. No matter what happens, just be conscious that God is present with you. As He was with Joseph, He is present with you. As He has been with other people in the Bible, so He is with you. The Lord will not leave you, so every time you go through difficulty, remember the presence of God. He is with you in the fire; He is with you in the lion’s den; He is with you when you’re facing your Goliath; He is with you when you’re crossing your Red Sea; He is with you when you’re crossing your Jordan River; He is with you when all men contend against you. The Lord will never leave you, and be thankful in your heart that He will guide you and bring you to a very fruitful and successful year.
I pray afresh for you that 2023 will be that year where you went out, gathered, and collected fragments. May God use those fragments to fill baskets in your life. May your life be full; may your life be complete; may your life be joyful; may your life be an expression of God’s goodness. May the Lord bless you in your going in, your coming out, and in all that you set your hand to. May you see the victory of the Lord this year in Jesus' name.
Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, You are my rock and deliverance. I celebrate Your mighty works in my life. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»
Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow as we start a brand new week. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.