Psalm 100 tells us to sing about God, speak about him, serve him, run to him, and enjoy him!
“Serve the Lord with gladness!” If we understand that he created us, made us his own people, and cares for us in his pasture, wouldn’t the proper response be to serve him with gladness? “Come into his presence with singing!” Psalm 100 gives a picture of a benevolent king receiving praise from his grateful people. They go to his courts to sing his praise.
What an amazing picture of Thanksgiving! The picture of a people so eager to give praise and thanks to God that they make the effort to go to Him. They don’t wait for the king to make his rounds. They are so thankful, that they go to Him because they long to express thanks. Are you eager to express thanks to God? Are you singing? Are you declaring? Are you remembering?
Why should we Thank Him?
Psalm 100 is full of reasons why we should praise the Lord. He is God. He created us. He is our shepherd. He cares for us.
In fact, there is a pattern to the Psalm. It starts with these commands to praise (make a joyful noise, serve with gladness, come into his presence with singing), then it gives us a list of reasons why we should praise him (he is God, he made us, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture). Then, it repeats by giving commands to praise (enter with thanksgiving and praise, give thanks to him, bless his name), and finally, closes with the grounds for such praise. In other words, the praise we give is always linked to what we know about God. To know God and understand him more is to praise him more. Our praise is not contrived. It is based on God’s goodness and kindness to us.
Consider the reasons for praise in verse 5. “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
In other words, the reason you should praise him, bless his name, and come into His courts with thanksgiving and praise is that he is good, his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness is to all generations. God’s nature and character should drive us to praise him. So, if your thanksgiving and praise are lacking, the question might be, “Do you spend enough time considering the glory of God?” Are you mining the Word of God, trying to gain the knowledge of who he is, and what he has done? Are you remembering all that this good king has done for you? Are you daily remembering the gospel?
Remember:
Titus 3:3-7 – For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Ephesians 2:4 – But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Psalm 34:8 – Taste and see that the Lord is good.
An Invitation to Praise
Look back at verse 1, and notice who he is calling to make a joyful noise: “All the earth”. It is almost like an invitation. Come find the joy of serving this great master. Come all those on the earth, all the nations. Everyone! This Thanksgiving, let your praise rise to our good and gracious King, and may your hearts be filled with joy!