“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

In the Book of Psalms there are 150 songs – most of which are of praise and thanksgiving to the Holy Spirit for deliverance from disaster and suffering. Even the communal and personal laments include verses of gratitude for ultimate proof of protection and safekeeping. Sung, spoken, and written by countless voices describing their experiences over 500 years, these offerings of gratitude come out of the storms and shadows of loss into glorious light…the victory over every human ill.

In fact, the underlying premise of all the psalms is the effectiveness of prayer to God, the declaration and assurance of and trust in Her unconditional and universal goodness. This is the prayer that removes fear –the fear of separation from God’s love and goodness – and guides, guards, and governs each of us, especially right in the midst of trouble.

So many times I have been freed from sorrow, fear, or despondency by the simple utterance, “Thank You, God.” Thank You for creating me inseparable and undivorced from Your love, abundance, protection, guidance, joy, and…, and…, and…! In fact, the more I keep adding the ideal qualities of the Spirit that are mine by reflection, the higher my heart soars. I can deeply feel the gratitude that heals, and I am free.

A friend sent me this link to a beautiful psalm of Thanksgiving. It is a “new-old” psalm in that it draws the lovely top-notes from several ancient Psalms (118, 148, 91, 121 and 27) to offer one powerful, present-day hymn of praise:

“This is the Day”  by John Rutter 

This is the day, the day which the Lord hath made

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the day, the day which the Lord hath made

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the day.

Oh praise the Lord of heaven,

Praise Him in the heights

Praise Him all ye angels of His

Praise Him all His hosts.

Praise Him sun and moon

Praise Him all ye stars of light

Let them praise the name of the Lord.

For He shall give His angels charge over thee

To keep thee in all thy ways.

The Lord Himself is thy keeper

The Lord is thy defense upon thy right hand

So that the sun shall not burn thee by day,

neither the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil

Yea, it is even He that shall keep thy soul.

The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in

From this time forth for evermore.

He shall defend thee under His wings.

Be strong and He shall comfort thy heart

And put thou thy trust, thy trust in the Lord

Put thou thy trust in the Lord.

This Thanksgiving season, may you find opportunity to sing the song of gratitude, and may your heart and home be full of praise and peace.