I remember as a little girl my mom would often say “You don’t have to tell everything you know.” It was her way of telling me to be quiet about things I heard others say. That was good advice for a little girl who loved to talk, but when it comes to thanksgiving it’s a bad idea according to Psalms 26:7. Here the psalmist says he will “publish with the voice of thanksgiving.” To publish something means to tell everyone, or make the information available to all. He is instructing us to tell it all with thanksgiving.
Psalms 26:7 “That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.”
To tell all the works of God would be totally impossible, however, we should spend our lives trying to tell anyone who will listen how great our God is. There is no one like Him but most don’t love Him enough or know enough about Him to proclaim Him to everyone. How do I know this? Because I listen to other Christians, and we all talk about the things we love, and most of those conversations never mention God. Think about how often you talk about your grandchildren or your children. When they do something great you cannot wait to tell others. Is it hard to tell others about them? Absolutely not, you know them well and you love them beyond measure. You are equipped to tell anyone who will listen about the people you love.
The psalmist is ready and desires to tell of all the wondrous works of God. He wanted the world to know how great He is and all of His mighty works. You do not have to look far to proclaim to others what a great God you serve.
Let’s start with creation. Only a perfect God could create a world where things are designed to work together. Each part of the world has its own detailed ecosystem and climate that functions without any help from us. God has created a beautiful world filled with many differences to keep us in awe of our Creator. The beauty of creation cannot be matched by anything mankind can do.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.”
In Job 12:7-10 Job reminds us that God’s handiwork is everywhere. We see God’s hand in the beasts of the field, the fish in the sea, the mountains, the valleys, the field of wildflowers, and even the breath of mankind points to the one and only creator.
Job 12:7-10 “But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”
Creation is a great reason to give thanks to God. I am always amazed by the beauty I see by looking out the window. Seasons change, but there are things in each season that bring special beauty that points to God.
What other things can we shout about to the world that we are thankful for? The list should be endless yet the most important one should be the act of redemption that brings us back in fellowship with the one who created us. This ought to be the thing we are most thankful for. It provides eternal life that is perfect. Did you get that? It is eternal, it never ends. We cannot imagine anything being eternal because everything we know in this world has a beginning and an end. It is also perfect. This is another aspect we cannot wrap our minds around. Perfection is not possible in this world because even the things we call perfect have their flaws. Especially when talking about ourselves. We understand there is nothing about us that is perfect. Yet, when we get to Heaven, we will be perfect! Thoughts of eternity with God should make us break out in praise that cannot be contained. This is what the psalmist is saying in our first verse Psalm 26:7. Tell it, publish it, for all to hear and see. Do not let a moment go by when you are not filled with thanksgiving. We are to live in a state of thanksgiving.
All throughout the Bible we read of thanks from Paul, David, Job, John, and many others. They had learned how to live in perpetual thanksgiving no matter what their circumstances were. They understood who they were in comparison to God. While we call them great men, they felt their unworthiness before God. When we understand the reality of who we are we will have a proper sense of the greatness and goodness of God. This will be humbling as we experience his pardoning mercy and forgiving grace. This knowledge will lead us to want to tell others. That is God’s design for us and to win others to Him.
Are you ready to tell anyone in your path, and maybe a few whom you have to be creative to get in contact with? Pray and ask God to bring someone to mind today that you can tell about Him. You do not need to recite a bunch of verses or tell a long story. Just be thankful, and have a desire to tell, and God will provide the words and the people to listen. He is so worthy of anything we do to exalt Him to others. Let your purpose today be to publish His works.
