Gratitude (5 of 10)
Series: Anatomy of the Soul
Dave Gustavsen
Psalm 65
We are taking this summer to walk through the book of Psalms, and we’ve been saying every week that the Psalms connect with human emotions. We’ve looked at Psalms that express despair and fear and injustice and waiting. So they help us put words to what we’re feeling. But there’s something else the Psalms do: besides just affirming the emotions that we already have, the Psalms model for us and sort of coach us on certain emotions that we really should have. Does that make sense?
If you are a parent of young kids, you’re doing this with your kids all the time. Imagine your child goes to school and they see another kid who’s left out, and your child thinks, ‘‘Oh well-tough luck for them,’’ as a parent you teach your child to feel...what? To feel compassion for that left-out kid. If your son just stole his sister’s ice cream cone, and she’s crying and sad, you teach your child to feel...what? Remorse for what he’s done, and respect for his sister’s rights. And we could think of lots of other examples. Good parents coach their kids on what kinds of emotions are appropriate at different times. And the Psalms do the same thing. When we read the Psalms we’re reminded that there are times in life that we should feel this way.
So today we come to Psalm 65, and it reminds us of one of the most important emotions we should have, which is gratitude.
Years ago I heard a pastor tell a story about a beautiful car he owned. He was so proud of this car, and he parked it right in front of his house. So one morning he walked outside and he noticed a tiny little scratch on the driver’s side door. He tried to buff it off with his sleeve, unsuccessfully. So he got in the car and drove to work. When he came back out to his car after work, what do you think the first thing he noticed was? The scratch. In fact, that’s the only thing he saw. 99.9% of the car looked immaculate...but his eyes went imm ...
Series: Anatomy of the Soul
Dave Gustavsen
Psalm 65
We are taking this summer to walk through the book of Psalms, and we’ve been saying every week that the Psalms connect with human emotions. We’ve looked at Psalms that express despair and fear and injustice and waiting. So they help us put words to what we’re feeling. But there’s something else the Psalms do: besides just affirming the emotions that we already have, the Psalms model for us and sort of coach us on certain emotions that we really should have. Does that make sense?
If you are a parent of young kids, you’re doing this with your kids all the time. Imagine your child goes to school and they see another kid who’s left out, and your child thinks, ‘‘Oh well-tough luck for them,’’ as a parent you teach your child to feel...what? To feel compassion for that left-out kid. If your son just stole his sister’s ice cream cone, and she’s crying and sad, you teach your child to feel...what? Remorse for what he’s done, and respect for his sister’s rights. And we could think of lots of other examples. Good parents coach their kids on what kinds of emotions are appropriate at different times. And the Psalms do the same thing. When we read the Psalms we’re reminded that there are times in life that we should feel this way.
So today we come to Psalm 65, and it reminds us of one of the most important emotions we should have, which is gratitude.
Years ago I heard a pastor tell a story about a beautiful car he owned. He was so proud of this car, and he parked it right in front of his house. So one morning he walked outside and he noticed a tiny little scratch on the driver’s side door. He tried to buff it off with his sleeve, unsuccessfully. So he got in the car and drove to work. When he came back out to his car after work, what do you think the first thing he noticed was? The scratch. In fact, that’s the only thing he saw. 99.9% of the car looked immaculate...but his eyes went imm ...
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