Let the redeemed say so!

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  For his mercy endures forever.  Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south."

I was fortunate last week to hear a wonderful lesson from a brother in Christ at the Nashville School of Preaching on "Being Grateful."  I have thought about his words and the Scriptures he read concerning how we should be thankful to God for the good things He has done.  He referenced the verse above, Psalm 107:1-3, which has stayed with me, especially, because of the direct charge from the writer to "the redeemed."  As a Christian--having had my sins washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ--the charge has been given to me.

"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so..."

In this text, the redeemed are called to give thanks to the Lord.  This compels me to stop and think: Am I expressing my gratitude to God everyday for His goodness and for His mercy?  Am I thanking Him in my personal prayers but also "saying so" for the world to hear?  The world needs to hear about the goodness and mercy of God and the voices that should be proclaiming their gratitude to Him the loudest should be those of the redeemed!  I encourage us to get into the habit of expressing our thankfulness to our Heavenly Father, somehow, everyday, to people in the world around us.

We have been blessed.  The mercy shown to us by God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, has provided us with a living hope (1 Peter 1:3).  The Christian's hope is "living" because it doesn't rest on worldly, temporary happiness; rather it rests on the fact that Jesus conquered death, and because of that victory we have an inheritance in Heaven that has been reserved for us and will never fade away!  Our "living" hope is real and it grows stronger with every day that passes as we draw closer and closer to our promised salvation.  Oh, the gratitude that should pour out from the hearts of the God's children!

Yes, God is good.  I am thankful that He has saved me from eternal death! I am thankful that He loves me!  I am thankful that He forgives me when I sin!  I am thankful that He hears my prayers! 

"Let the redeemed say so!"