Give thanks?

I Chronicles 16:30-35

³⁰ Tremble before the LORD, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

³¹ Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"

³² Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

³³ Then the trees of the forest will sing,
they will sing for joy before the LORD,
who comes to judge the earth.

³⁴ Give thanks to the LORD, for God is good;
and God's love endures forever.

³⁵ Cry out, "Save us, O God our Savior;
gather us and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name,
that we may glory in your praise."

Tremble, rejoice, resound, sing, be jubilant, give thanks, cry out...

When I read the first four phrases of this psalm as I've posted here, I am "overwhelmed" by the sense of power that God possesses - power over the earth, union with the heavens, inspiring the sea to gather every drop of water up together to make a loud noise - resound. Even the trees in the forest will sing. Nothing and no one should be silent in giving thanks to God.

And then v. 35 suddenly catches my eye - cry out! Save us! Gather us and deliver us! Help us so that we CAN give thanks.

I remember Oprah Winfrey quoting Meister Eckart a few years back saying: “If the only prayer you say in your entire life is 'Thank You,' it will suffice.”

That makes it sound so simple - as if saying "thank you" to God were always easy and dripping off the tongue. But, for me at least, sometimes the reality is that "thank you" is quite a high achievement to aspire to in prayer. In the midst of moments of grief and pain in our lives, can we say "thank you" and mean it? Can we do that without feeling the tears come, or the pain in the chest, or still worry about what tomorrow will bring?

Some days, I can rejoice and resound quite easily. But lately, it's easier to pray "save us" - save me, O God, deliver me from this. Help me so I CAN give thanks.

Today, I am thankful for the challenge to say "thank you" to an omnipotent God whose very presence is so powerful, the whole world wakes up to offer praise.