This God-His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30

Psalm 18 is one of the longer Psalms. It was written by David to praise God for His deliverance. God delivered David from many tight spots. He made Him a great warrior and helped him to be victorious in many battles. Many of David’s Psalms praise God for what He has done for Him, but He also praises God for who He is.

Tomorrow many of us will gather around the table with our family and friends. We will give thanks for all kinds of things in our lives like our loved ones, our possessions, healing, being brought through tough times. I ask you to think about who did all this for you.

We are often thankful for all the things God gives us, but do we remember to truly be grateful to Him for who He is. Our pastor did a sermon several years ago on how to pray. He used the acronym ACTS to help us remember to pray first in adoration and praise, then confessing our sins, followed by thanksgiving and ending with supplication or our needs.

The adoration is important. If we don’t acknowledge God’s goodness, it’s as if we don’t really know Him. James 1:17 says every generous act and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning.

This means every good thing we have ever gotten has come from God. God is ever constant and never changing. God doesn’t love us one minute and hate us the next. We can’t do anything to make God not love us. We can purposely separate ourselves from Him by our sin, but He still loves us.

We are told in Romans 5:8 God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God doesn’t wait for us to clean up our act. He will take us just as we are.

He will clean us up if we will simply turn to Him. 1 John 1:9 tells us if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He waits for us with open arms. He will meet us where we are and clothe us in His righteousness.

So, while you are being thankful for all God has given you, remember to thank Him for who He is. Remember to let Him know how much you appreciate His wonderful qualities like his consistency. Be thankful that we serve an all-powerful God with whom nothing is impossible.

Be grateful for His omnipresence so He can be everywhere at one time. He can take good care of all of us at the same time.

I am so grateful for His omniscience. He knows all. He knows what my future holds because He holds my future in His hands. This means I have no reason to fear. As long as I put my trust in Him, I need not fear because He will take good care of me.

The only way to be grateful to God for who He is, is to really get to know Him. The only way to truly know Him is through consistent daily Bible study and prayer. This is the only way to develop an understanding of how awesome He is. This is how we come to understand this deep, undying love He has for us.

I promise you the more you get to know Him, the more you will love Him. To truly know Him is to truly love Him. My friend if you are not firmly rooted in a solid relationship with Him, you have no idea what you are missing. Trust in Him today. As you go through this week, remember to thank Him not only for what He has given you and done in your life but also for who He is.

Be grateful that He loved us enough to send His Son to die on a cross to save us from our sins. Be grateful that He never changes, we can always trust in His goodness. If you don’t know this awesome God we serve, take time to get to know Him.

You will be so glad you did.

Have a great day!