Thanksgiving Psalms: Psalm 97

Last Sunday, at our Intergenerational Faith Formation Meal, we talked together about thankfulness, and each household received a sort of Thanksgiving devotional book to take home, with a different Psalm of Thanksgiving to read each day from now til Thanksgiving. For those of you who were unable to attend (or who just do better receiving things digitally!) those Psalms will also be sent out via the blog daily until Thanksgiving. Just a chance for you to stop and offer a prayer of thanks from the scriptures each day, developing deeper gratitude in your own lives. Now that we're a week into these prayers, what are you noticing about them? What thoughts or prayers are they bringing up in you?

Psalm 97: The Glory of God’s Reign

1 The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;

    let the many coastlands be glad!

2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around God;

    righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne.

3 Fire goes before God,

    and consumes God’s adversaries on every side.

4 God’s lightnings light up the world;

    the earth sees and trembles.

5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,

    before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim God’s righteousness;

    and all the peoples behold God’s glory.

7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,

    those who make their boast in worthless idols;

    all gods bow down before God.

8 Zion hears and is glad,

    and the towns of Judah rejoice,

    because of your judgments, O God.

9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;

    you are exalted far above all gods.

10 The Lord loves those who hate evil;

    God guards the lives of God’s faithful;

    God rescues them from the hand of the wicked.

11 Light dawns for the righteous,

    and joy for the upright in heart.

12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,

    and give thanks to God’s holy name!