Thanksgiving Sunday
Scripture: Psalm 103
John Son
Introduction
Thanksgiving season gives us a chance to pause and ask a simple, yet a profound question: What are you thankful for?
Maybe you’d say family, friends, health, work, a home, or the ways God has provided for you this year. And those are all wonderful things to be thankful for.
But have you ever noticed how easy it is to focus on the things we’re thankful for without really stopping to consider what thanksgiving means for our relationship with God? We can go through our list of blessings, but Psalm 103 invites us to something deeper than simply expressing gratitude. It calls us to worship.
In our text today, David begins by saying, “1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” He doesn’t just give thanks for what he has received. He directs his heart toward the Lord Himself. And as we’ll see, the more we understand who God is and what He has done for us, the more deeply our hearts will be moved to really praise and worship Him.
So this morning, we’ll look at three things:
1. Remember the grace you have received.
2. Look beyond the gifts to the Giver.
3. Let that remembrance lead you to praise.
So let’s begin with the first point.
1. Remember the grace you have received
Look at how David begins – v.1 “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me.”
If you notice, that word bless is in the imperative – meaning it’s a command. He doesn’t wait until he feels thankful or until life is going well. Instead, He commands himself: Bless the Lord!
Now, the Hebrew word for “to bless” is the same word that’s used for “to kneel”. David is saying, in a sense, “Kneel, my soul. Bow before the Lord.” And he wants every part of him to join in—not just his mind, not just his emotions, but all that is within him.
But notice what David says next: V.2 - 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
David doesn’t simply say, “Look at all the good things you’ve received.” He calls his own soul to remember what the Lord has done. In a way, David is preaching to his own heart: “Don’t forget!”
Why does he have to tell himself that? Because David knows something about the human heart—that we so easily forget.
- We can remember our problems very clearly, but so easily forget God’s faithfulness.
- We remember what we don’t have, but so easily forget what God has already given us.
- We remember the disappointments, but so easily forget the grace that has carried us through.
And if we’re honest, we know how true that is in our own lives. Sometimes our circumstances become so overwhelming that they shape the way we see everything. We become so focused on what’s going wrong that we lose sight of God’s goodness and faithfulness.
And that’s why David calls his own soul to remember. He doesn’t want his circumstances to determine how he sees God. He wants to look back and remember what God has done.
And that’s exactly what he does in verses 3–5. He begins to name the Lord’s benefits. (show v.3-5) God is the One who forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, and satisfies. David looks back over his life and sees God’s fingerprints everywhere. He remembers how God has dealt with his sin, how God has rescued him, and how God has continued to provide for him. And as he remembers, praise rises up from his heart: “Bless the LORD, O my soul!”
My brothers and sisters, that’s how thanksgiving works. Thanksgiving begins with remembering. Gratitude doesn’t grow only out of good circumstances. It grows when we remember and recognize the grace of God in the circumstances we face.
Some of us can look back over this year and say, “God provided when I didn’t know how things would work out.” “God sustained me when I was exhausted.” “God brought the right people into my life at exactly the right time.”
Sometimes God’s grace is obvious. But sometimes it’s only when we look back that we realize, “The Lord was carrying me all along.”
And notice where David begins when he starts naming God’s benefits. He doesn’t begin with material blessings or outward success. The very first thing he says is that God “forgives all your iniquity.” (Show v.3a)
Think about that for a moment. Of all the things David could thank God for, he begins with forgiveness. Why? Because our deepest need is not simply for God to make our lives better. Our deepest need is to be made right with God.
And that changes how we understand Thanksgiving. Yes, we thank God for His provision, for our families, for our health, and for the many good things He gives us, no doubt! But beneath all of those blessings is something far greater: God has dealt with our sin and brought us back to Himself.
My brothers and sisters, the greatest gift is not simply what God gives us, but the grace by which He brings us back to Himself. In Christ, our sins have been forgiven, we have been justified before God, and the righteousness of Jesus Christ has been credited to us. And now, through Christ, we are welcomed into the presence of God as His beloved sons and daughters. What an amazing gift we have received!
2. Look beyond the gifts to the Giver
As David keeps going, something beautiful happens. He starts out remembering what God has done for him. But then his attention shifts from God’s gifts to God himself. Let’s read verses 8 to 12.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Verse 8 is God’s own description of himself, the words he spoke to Moses in Exodus 34. And David realizes that God’s faithfulness was never about how good David had been. It was about who God is - God is merciful. God is gracious. God is slow to anger. God is abounding in steadfast love.
And that matters, because if our thanksgiving rests only on our circumstances, it will rise and fall with them - When life is good, we thank God. But when life gets hard, we wonder where he is.
But Biblical thanksgiving goes deeper. We don’t praise God only because life is good. We praise God because God is good.
And David shows us just how good God is in the very next verses. Look at verse 10: “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.”
My brothers and sisters, think about what David is saying. God is not only good to us when things are going well. He is merciful to us even though we have sinned against Him. We haven’t loved Him as we ought, obeyed Him as we ought, or given Him the praise that He deserves. And yet, He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve.
But how can that be? God is merciful, but He is also holy and righteous. He cannot simply overlook our sin or pretend it doesn't matter. So how can He forgive us and still be just?
This is where Psalm 103 points us straight to the gospel. God does not deal with us according to our sins because He dealt with Jesus according to our sins.
Prophet Isaiah says - “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5).
And Apostle Paul also reminds us - “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).
God didn’t overlook our sin. He didn’t pretend it didn’t matter. It was dealt with at the cross. The One who deserved all the praise gave himself for the people who had failed to praise him. That’s how far the east is from the west. Our sin was removed because it was laid on him.
Now look back at David’s list. (show v.3-5) Every one of those benefits was bought at the cross.
He forgives, because Christ bore our sin.
He heals, because by Christ’s wounds we are healed, and our deepest sickness, sin, was carried away.
He redeems us from the pit, because Jesus went down into the deepest pit of all, death itself, and rose again.
He crowns us with steadfast love, because Jesus wore a crown of thorns so that we could be crowned with mercy.
He satisfies, because Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger.”
And that is why Christian thanksgiving is gospel-centered thanksgiving. We don’t just say, “Thank you, God, for a good year.”
We say:
- “Even if this year has been hard, thank you that I belong to you.”
- “Thank you that my sins are forgiven.”
- “Thank you that Christ has paid for me.”
- “Thank you that my future is secure in him.”
That is a thanksgiving no circumstance can take away.
For some of us, this has been a wonderful year. We’ve seen prayers answered, experienced new opportunities, celebrated important moments, and received God’s provision in many ways. If that’s you, take a moment to recognize where those blessings came from. They didn’t come from us alone. They are gifts from God. So don’t take the credit for yourself. Give thanks to the One who has been so good to you.
But for others, this may have been a painful year. Maybe you’ve been facing financial pressures. Maybe you’re carrying the pain of a broken relationship, a disappointment, or the loss of someone you love. Maybe you’ve been praying about something for a long time, and God still hasn’t answered in the way you hoped.
If that’s where you find yourself today, what does Thanksgiving mean for you? Does it mean pretending everything is okay? No. Psalm 103 doesn’t ask us to pretend that life is easy or that our pain doesn’t matter. David knew what it was like to be betrayed and hunted. He also knew the weight of his own sin and failure. And yet, he could still say, “Bless the LORD, O my soul.” Why? Because David’s hope wasn’t ultimately in how his life was going. His hope was in who God is.
And as Christians, we have even more reason to hold on to that hope, because we know what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Jesus died for our sins and rose again. So even when we don’t understand what God is doing in our circumstances, we can hold on to what we know to be true: God has loved us, forgiven us, and given His own Son for us. And as Paul reminds us in Romans 8, nothing—not hardship, not danger, not even death—can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
So sometimes, thanksgiving sounds like this: “Lord, thank You for this wonderful blessing.”
But other times, it sounds like: “Lord, I don’t understand what I’m going through right now. But I know who You are, and I know what You have done for me in Christ. So even in this difficult season, I will continue to trust You.”
That is gospel-shaped gratitude.
3. Remember, and let your heart praise
By the end of this psalm, David’s praise has grown. He began by speaking to his own soul: “Bless the LORD, O my soul.” But now, his praise expands beyond himself. Let’s look at verses 20–22:
“20Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!
21Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!
22Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!”
It’s as though David cannot keep this praise to himself. Having remembered God’s grace and seen the greatness of His steadfast love, he calls all of creation to join him.
My brothers and sisters, when we truly see who God is and what He has done, praise becomes the natural response of our hearts. We begin to see how great He is in His power, how good He is in His mercy, and how steadfast He is in His love. And the more we grasp the greatness and goodness of our God, the more our hearts are moved to worship Him.
And perhaps that is what we need this Thanksgiving—not simply to count our blessings, but to remember the God behind them. When was the last time you simply stood in awe of God? When was the last time you thought about His goodness and found your heart moved to say, “Lord, You are so good to me”?
Just as David’s heart was moved to praise God so deeply that he went from calling his own soul to praise to calling all creation to praise, may our hearts be moved in the same way. As we come to see more clearly how great God is and how worthy He is of all praise, may our hearts overflow with worship, joining the chorus of all creation in declaring His greatness.
So, my brothers and sisters, as we gather around the Thanksgiving table today, let us remember—and let our hearts respond in praise. When life is good, let us remember the Giver of every blessing and lift our praise to the Lord. And when life is difficult, let us remember His continual faithfulness all the more and command our souls to bless the Lord!
For our God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love! The Father has lavished His grace upon us, the Son has redeemed us through His precious blood, and the Holy Spirit continues to dwell within us and sustain us.
So, bless the LORD, O my soul! Bless His holy name!
Reflection and Response
As the praise team comes forward, let’s take a moment to reflect on God’s Word. This Thanksgiving Sunday, I want to leave us with one question:
As you look back on this past year, what are some expressions of God’s grace and faithfulness that you don’t want to forget? And how can remembering them move your heart to bless the Lord—even in seasons when life is difficult?
And if you’re still exploring faith, there’s an even more important question to consider: Have you personally received the greatest gift of all—the forgiveness and new life God offers through Jesus Christ? If not, Jesus invites you to come to Him and receive the grace He freely offers.
