The psalmist has written in Psalm 118:1, “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.” If we might analyze this verse for a moment, I think we might agree with the psalmist. The story is told of a country preacher who, on this particular cold March winter Sunday, was overtaken by a deacon who remarked, “This sure is a bitter, cold morning, I wish it wasn’t so cold. I’m freezing!” To which the minister replied, “Oh? I was just thanking God for keeping His word.” “What do you mean,” the deacon asked? “Well,” said the preacher, “over three thousand years ago God promised that cold and heat should not cease, so I am strengthened by this weather because it gives me assurance of His promises.”
You know, there are two ways that you and I can wake up to each morning. We can say, “Good Lord! Is it morning?” Or, we can say, “Good morning, Lord!” How we choose to greet the day will determine what kind of day we will have. The psalmist chose to say, “Good morning, Lord!” “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good.” A group of friends were walking in the morning after a night of showers, when they saw a rainbow in the sky. “I forget,” said one man, “what is it that makes the rainbow?” To which another man said, “Why, it is the Lord that sets the rainbow in the sky.” And after a few moments of thought, he added, “There is a reason written in the Book as why the rainbow is in the sky. You see, it is the Lord who created all things and He made the rainbow to remind us of His mercy and goodness. The occasion for the rainbow came after the flood in which He promised never to destroy the earth again with a flood.”
One night in an evening church service, an old saint stood up and related a long, complaining strain of experiences about the trials and difficulties which are encountered on the way to Heaven. At the end of his talk, another dear saint rose and said, “I see that our brother who has just sat down, lives on Grumbling Street. I used to live on that street as well, and for quite some time, but I never enjoyed good health. The air there is bad; the houses are bad; the birds never came and sang on Grumbling Street, and I was gloomy and sad most of the time. But finally I moved. I moved to Thanksgiving Street and ever since then I have had good health and so have my family. The air is pure, the water good, the houses are good; the sun shines all day; the birds are always singing; and I am as happy as can be. Now, I would suggest to our brother that he, too, would move. There are plenty of houses to live in there, on Thanksgiving Street.”
