“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” says David in Psalm 34:1. And in Psalm 68:19 he also seems to capture the thought of continual praise when he says, “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah” (This thought also seems to be expressed in the words of an old song by Albert Hutchinson “For all the blessings of the year” that is used by Rose in place of her rhyme in today’s meditation.) These words in Psalm 68:19, “loads us with benefits, The God”, come from one single Hebrew word ALE which means strength or mighty. These daily benefits are not something to be taken for granted or lightly; they are daily blessings of the Almighty God, for which He alone deserves all the glory. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we are told, “In everything give thanks …” Yes that means even on a day when you face difficulties and adversities, give thanks for His victory of which we are and shall be partakers. Some interpret Ephesians 5:20 as saying we should give thanks for the bad things that attack us in life; I do not see the Scripture supporting that view. The Greek word in this verse that has been translated “for” would better be translated as over, above, beyond, or across. F. J. Dake says of this verse that our thanks should be, “Because of continued blessings from God.” Thus our praise should be perpetual!
For all the blessings of the year
Selected by Rose Hill, written y Albert Hutchinson
For all the blessings of the year,
For all the friends we hold so dear,
For peace on earth both far and near,
We thank thee, Lord.
For life and health those common things,
Which every day and hour brings,
For home where our affection clings.
We thank thee, Lord.
For love of thine which never tires,
Which all our better thought inspires,
And warms our lives with heavenly fires,
We thank thee, Lord.
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Co. used by permission.