TRANSFORMING GRATITUDE: REVIVE

We hope that you are experiencing the power of gratitude in your heart and soul.  There are so many things that can give us a sense of thankfulness, and counting our blessings is helpful, but also temporary.  We may have fleeting moments of gratitude, but our series Transforming Gratitude has the grand goal of helping us find a fountain of thanksgiving flowing through our lives!  This week is no exception.  The sermon is Revive.  It is based upon Psalm 118:14-29.  This is a victory Psalm, but more than that, it is a moment in which victory was snatched from the jaws of defeat.  There was a thin line between standing and falling, success and failure, and life and death.  What made the difference?  It was God’s plan and providence, but King David also realized that he was lacking trust in the living God.  God brought him to this point to help him find a source of strength, a fountain of celebration, and a geyser of confidence for the difficult moments of his life.  We pray that as you experience pressure, problems, and adversity, you will also sense the strength of Psalm 118:14-29 and find the power of trusting a gracious God who called you into this moment and who will hold you in his powerful hands.

Psalms 118:14-29: The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. ¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! ¹⁶ The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!” ¹⁷ I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. ¹⁸ The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. ¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. ²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. ²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. ²² The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; ²³ the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. ²⁴ The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. ²⁵ LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success! ²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. ²⁷ The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. ²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. ²⁹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever