Every month, a brief summary of a Bible Study session by Pastor Johnson will be featured. To learn and enjoy an entire session, please come to our Bible Study sessions held every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. You’ll be glad you did!
“Learn How to Be Thankful” — Psalms 116:1-6
Dr. Brodie I. Johnson, Pastor, Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church
The more you thank God for small things, the more He will bless you with great things. :1 I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Isn’t it amazing how God can hear all of us at the same time and STILL turn around and bless us individually! The writer is saying that he loves the Lord for what He has done. We should love him for things that He has done that we didn’t even ask for. The Lord heard the writer’s plea; his call out.
There are a lot of people who wake up with a beautiful body, but with no mind. It’s a blessing just to have a right mind. Look at how God continues to regulate your mind. :2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. This is a declaration! God has a great track record. Never lose hope when you can look back at what He has already done.
:3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. You don’t know how close Death is to you. You don’t have to have cancer, leukemia, or a heart attack to die. You can die from the flu or from an unexplained malady. There is one thing that no one can change – we’re all going to die, and we can’t take any shoes, clothes, or money with us. You can live on this earth and feel like you’re dead, especially when things aren’t going your way. Nothing can be more devastating than being “spiritually dead”. You will wonder where you can get enough energy to survive. Sometimes you can have so many burdens in your life that it makes you spiritually dead.
A lot of people are emotionally and psychologically messed up. Learn how to “reverse the curse”. In verses 1-3 the psalmist is devastated and at wit’s end. When you’ve done all that you can do – that’s when God can step in! 4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. The writer makes it personal and calls upon the name of the Lord. Don’t let anyone stop you from making it personal. Some people pray “light” prayers, but sometimes God wants you to be persistent. He wants to know if you are for real and if you are willing to trust and wait on him to answer. 4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. There comes a time when you need God to do something with your soul.
Learn how to be thankful!