Let the Thanks Come out! #2

 Yesterday we read the opening verses of the first Song of Thanksgiving recorded in Scripture, found in I Chronicles 16. After calling upon his people and all nations, as well as every creature on land and in the sea to give a cry out to God, David concludes this song: 

34 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever!
35 Say also:
“Save us, O God of our salvation,
    and gather and deliver us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.
36 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!”
Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.

As we said yesterday, one of the basic reasons we should give thanks to God is because of His name, His character - because He is good, and God's people can see His acts of love consistently, repeatedly. He is also the God Who gathers.  Nations that celebrate Thanksgiving often do so after the crops are gathered for the year, recognizing God's provision of their needs. But there is another gathering David mentions here: God gathering His people together: He has saved us and pulled us together. Why? So we can thank and praise Him together. It is a shared experience. When we sing His praises, tell of His wonders, and share how God has blessed us, there should be an "Amen" of thanks that comes out of our hearts and mouths.  Let the thanks come out.