“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” – Psalm 136:1
APPETIZER
- Have the whole family sit in a circle and toss a ball across the circle. The person with the ball must say one thing he or she is thankful for.
- To help them focus, every four or five tosses give them a category to share from (“Things around your house… things you find outside… people in your life… things about God…“)
- Play until everyone gets a couple of chances to thank God for something.
MAIN COURSE
- Listen to the thankful words of Psalm 100…
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
- All through the Psalms, no matter what David was facing, we read his expressions of gratitude to God. As he encountered good times and bad times, David always turned back to the truth of God’s goodness. This attitude often carried him through really hard situations.
- Gratitude is an attitude that comes out of the habit of giving thanks. When you were little you learned to say please and thank you through repetition and reminders. In the same way, we learn to express our thanks to God through consistent practice.
- But, while gratitude is a habitual attitude, we want our thanksgiving to come out of a genuine heart. The more we think about God’s goodness and express our thanks no matter what our circumstance, the more it will naturally flow out of a heart that loves Him.
TABLE TALK (QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS AND WRAP UP)
- As I read from Psalm 136, listen for things which you can thank God for…
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;
- What does the psalmist say endures forever? (God’s steadfast love for us)
- Why does Psalm 136 say we should thank the Lord? (Because God is good.)
- What is one thing mentioned in the passage that God has done for which you are thankful? (He alone does great wonders: He made the heavens and the earth, etc.)
- Close your time in prayer