This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 67. Here is what I learned.
God! Let people thank and enjoy you. Let all people thank and enjoy you. Psalm 67:5 (MSG)
God, the people should ·praise [thank] you; all people should ·praise [thank] you. Psalm 67:5 (EXB)
The repetition shows that this was the principal thought in the mind of the author of the psalm. It expresses an earnest - an intense - desire, that all nations should acknowledge God as the true God, and praise him for his mercies. Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Let the people praise thee, O God! Having spoken of all nations participating in the saving knowledge of God, he next tells us that they would proclaim his goodness, and exhorts them to the exercise of gratitude. The repetition used clearly shows of itself that he alludes to an event of a new and unprecedented kind. Calvin's Commentary
Exercise of gratitude. Repetition. I like the picture that creates. We know that physical exercise is a set of repetitions to build up strength and flexibility, not to mention remain healthy. The same can be true of “gratitude exercise”, for repetitions of expressing praise will build up our spiritual strength and help our souls to remain healthy.
Good trainers know that you can’t just exercise one time and then call it quits, because well you did exercise. To be effective, exercise must be done often and with increases resistance in order to continue to be beneficial.
Exercising gratitude may begin with praising God for the good things, that’s easy. But exercising gratitude in the midst of something you don’t understand or as you go through a difficult situation—that will strengthen your soul. Because no matter the situation, you know that God is worthy of praise.
To create a positive day, I need to exercise gratitude repeatedly!
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