Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to [God] and praise his name. Psalm 100:4

I’ve been following and praying for a fellow writer who’s been posting online about her cancer journey. She alternates between sharing updates about her physical pain and challenges and sharing prayer requests with Scripture and praises to God. It’s beautiful to see her courageous smile whether she’s in the hospital awaiting treatments or at home wearing a bandana because her hair is falling out. With each challenge, she never fails to encourage others to trust God during trials.

When we’re going through difficulties, it may be challenging to find reasons to be grateful and to praise God. However, Psalm 100 gives us reasons to rejoice and give God praise despite our circumstances. The psalmist says: “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture” (v. 3). He adds, “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (v. 5).

Whatever our trial, we can take comfort knowing that God is near to our broken hearts (34:18). The more time we spend with God in prayer and reading the Bible, the more we’ll be able to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” and “give thanks to him and praise his name” (100:4). We can “shout for joy to the Lord” (v. 1) even and perhaps especially when we’re in a difficult season because our God is faithful.

What are you grateful for? What can you praise God for right now?

Dear God, please help me to praise You even in my trials.

Ezekiel 24-26; 1 Peter 2

Psalm 100 is the last of eight consecutive psalms (93-100) that emphasize God as King. Each psalm highlights a particular aspect of this King’s reign. Psalm 93 shows God ruling over the seas (vv. 3-4)—a characteristic especially meaningful to a people who’d passed safely through the Red Sea as their enemies drowned behind them (see Exodus 14). Psalm 94 shows God as the righteous judge who opposes the wicked. Psalms 95-97 praise the incomparability of the one true God, “the great King above all gods” (95:3), extolling His “righteousness and justice” as “the foundation of his throne” (97:2). This emphasis on God “above all gods” (v. 9) is vital for Israel as they were surrounded by nations that worshiped false gods. Psalm 100 recognizes this true King as Israel’s creator and shepherd (v. 3) and calls everyone to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” (v. 4).

Tim Gustafson