Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! ⁵For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. —Psalm 100:4-5
This psalm has been precious to me since high school. As a new believer I had great joy singing the truths in these verses with other students. This passage still fills me with joy and reminds me of these same great truths today, but they have taken on new meaning as I’ve journeyed with the Lord over many decades.
We, as believers in God and followers of Jesus Christ, are commanded to gratefully praise the Lord and worship with His people. When we gather together as the church, we can give our great God the worship He deserves and stir up one another to our calling as His grateful children. Hebrews 10:25 admonishes us not to neglect meeting together, “as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Corporate worship matters, to God and the body of Christ.
David repeats the command to give thanks, showing how important this is. God calls us to live lives of praise and gratitude, not just individually but as His church . Last month’s verses in 1 Thessalonians 5 were important reminders that we should: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.” Showing and proclaiming our gratitude glorifies God and encourages our own souls and the family of God as we worship together.
David gives three reasons to give thanks in this psalm:
The Lord is good. He is good to all (Matthew 5:43-48), especially His children (Psalm 34:8). His very nature is good and worthy of praise. Even His command to praise Him is for our good and our joy.
His steadfast love endures forever. His enduring, steady, unchanging, unending love will never fail. It continues beyond eternity. We will always be beneficiaries of His kind, gracious, merciful, steadfast love because He is our loving Father. He is worthy of praise for this great gift of His love that won’t ever end (Psalms 106, 107, 117, and especially 118 and 136).
His faithfulness is to all generations. This truth has become more precious to me the older I get because of the generations of people I now know. I rejoice in knowing that God loves and cares faithfully for me and my siblings, as He has for those who came before me. He cares not only for my children, but also for my grandchildren and the generations to come beyond them. His faithful love also extends to the children in the ministry I serve. Each and every one benefits from His perfect love. I rejoice in the eternal blessings that God faithfully bestows on the generations. He is worthy of all praise!
Seeing God’s faithfulness to all generations leads me to praise God the way David does elsewhere in the Psalms:
But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise. Psalm 79:13
For Reflection
Think about how you enter church for worship. What is your typical heart attitude?
How might this psalm help you prepare your heart to worship the Lord rightly?
Ask the Lord to show you how you can help your children (and those around you in the worship service) learn to worship God.
Lori Myers is a customer care specialist at Truth78 and serves as a ministry assistant in her church's Kids Ministry. She has been using the Fighter Verses memory program since 2004 beginning with The Sermon on the Mount (Extended Set 5). Daily practice on the Fighter Verses App still deepens her faith and knowledge of God's Word. She is blessed to have two amazing daughters, two wonderful sons-in-law, and five adorable grandchildren.