“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all thy wonderful deeds.” – Psalm 9:1
The Psalms were written for several occasions. Some were songs written to express the deepest of emotions such as fear, worry, shame, and joy. Others were written to help the faithful worship God. Psalm 9 was written to express thanksgiving to God. This Psalm is written to express praise to a God who has done marvelous things for God’s children.
Psalm 9 was written by David. It was appropriate for David to express his gratitude to God. David was the youngest child of a family who did not have great political power. In ancient Israel, the youngest son had little to no authority, power, or responsibility. When we first meet David, he has been taking care of the sheep… not really a glamorous job. When David’s brothers went to war, David stayed home with his father. The only reason David was present to fight Goliath was because his father had sent him there, as a messenger, to bring back word of the battle with the Philistines. David was also given the job of taking food to his older brothers.
David had many struggles, but he also had many wonderful triumphs. At an early age, he is selected by God to be the future King of Israel. He becomes a musician in the King’s court. He defeats the giant Goliath and saves Israel. David becomes one of the greatest kings of Israel. He is given the plans to help build the temple of God. These mighty achievements are significant for anyone, but especially a shepherd boy from Bethlehem. It is no wonder David was able to write, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all thy wonderful deeds.” (Psalm 9:1)
Like David, each of us have had success and failure in our lives. The important thing for people of faith to do is offer thanksgiving to God. God is with us in our trials and triumph. God who is gracious and merciful to His children. We have much to be thankful for. God is good and has been good to us. Let us join with David and say, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all thy wonderful deeds.”
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
