Psalm 107:1 - Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

One of the first things we teach children to say is “Thank You.” As a child grows up, parents often prompt them by saying “Now, what do you say?” after they received a piece of candy, a compliment, a birthday present. As children grow, they tend to become more enthusiastic the better they perceive their gift to be.

One of our few home videos of when I was a child was from my brother’s fifth birthday party. He, of course say the obligatory “thank you”s after opening each gift. But nothing could have prepared us for what came after he open his gift from Patrick. Upon unveiling the dinosaur puzzle, Keith’s face lit up and began something like a mixture of yelling and singing “Thank you, Patrick! Thank you!” My family always bursts into laughter when we hear his little voice exclaim such great thanks over that dinosaur puzzle.

If only we could keep this intensely thankful spirit about us. But, as we all know, we become less and less impressed with the dinosaur puzzle before long. Perhaps our tastes have changed, perhaps we’re bored with the things that we used to love, or perhaps we no longer put so much importance on material things. Often, with age comes an understanding that it’s not the newest gadget that will evoke true thankfulness, rather it is the hug from a dear friend during a difficult time, quality time spent with family, or just the presence of a loved one.

Hopefully this is also true in our relationship with God. Hopefully we mature with age and, while we never stop thanking God for all the wonderful things God does for us, we move to a deeper thanksgiving. We thank God not for how God benefits us, but simply for being Himself. Because God is good. God is loving. And God’s goodness and love will never end.

Let us take today to not simply be thankful for what God has done for us, but for who God is.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

We are a forgetful people. While we may be good at remembering phone numbers, or friends’ birthdays, or names of people we meet, we often forget something far more important. Our identity.

Usually we can remember our names, the names of our family members, where we work and things of that nature. But often we forget our much deeper identity – children of God.

Sometimes we choose to forget this identity. Difficult things come up in our lives and, in anger, we turn away from God. But often we forget simply because we don’t have things set up in our lives to remind us of who we are.

In Deuteronomy 6 God instructs the Israelites to follow the commands closely – to talk about them at all times – when walking, sitting or lying down – to write the laws on the doorframes of their houses and on their gates so that they would constantly be reminded of their identity – children of God.
In Exodus 12 the Israelites perform a special ceremony – the Passover – reminding them of their identity – children of God.
In Joshua 4 they set up stones as a monument, a symbol of their identity – children of God.

But, the Israelites often forgot their identity as the children of God – as a people who are in a covenant relationship with God. And God was fully aware of this, so God reminds them, “When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

It should be no surprise that thousands of years later, we find ourselves encountering the same struggle. In difficult times we often forget God has acted on our behalf to provide the blessings that we do have. And in times of plenty, we forget that it was God, not us, who provided.

So, let us strive to remember our identities as people who were created by God, to love God and to live in obedience to God. Let us establish ways to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness to us. Let us recount the stories of God’s action on our behalf. Let us gather our purpose and direction in life from our identity – children of God.

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” This is a line that is repeated throughout the entire Bible, from beginning to end. Sometimes repetition can become boring or monotonous, but it often indicates a growth area. We need to be reminded over and over of the things that we easily forget.

It is often difficult for people to remember the presence of God because God is intangible. We cannot see God. God does not extend a physical hand to us when we are troubled. Because of this, it is so easy for us to feel alone. And when we feel alone we often become afraid.

This can happen in many different circumstances. It can happen in the workplace, at home, between friends…in the hospital.

But it is in these times of loneliness and fear that the Spirit whispers the words “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”

We often hear this in Psalm 23 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”
And Isaiah 41:10 reminds us So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
And God fulfilled that promise tangibly through the life of Jesus – Immanuel – “God with us.”
And even though he was crucified, he rose again. And before he ascended into heaven he declared “I am with you always – even until the end of the age.”
And now through the church, all the people of God, we still experience the presence of God.

May we work today to bring the presence of God to one another.
And when we feel alone and afraid, may we remember God’s promise: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”