Count Your Blessings

Psalm 84

Emmanuel Christian Church

11.19.23

INTRODUCTION: When was the last time someone reminded you to “count your blessings”? Chances are pretty good it was during some time of difficulty in your life. Let me ask you, how did you feel after you took the time to actually do it? I bet you felt better! PROPOSITION: Taking the time to count our blessings can be a real source of comfort in our lives. With Thanksgiving just days away, God’s Book of Psalms gives us some clear direction (as well as a positive example) on how we can make thanksgiving more than a single-day celebration. READ PSALM 84 Psalms 84 For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young — a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah 9 Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. 10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. Preparation (vs.1-2)

FOCUS YOUR MIND on the goodness of God.
The Psalmist declares God’s dwelling place is lovely (an intellectual perception)
God’s dwelling place is lovely because God is lovely!
Even a dog understands this truth! (Illustration of dog on the way to the vet vs. dog on the way to grandma’s house.) Solomon speaks of this same truth in Proverbs: “Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.” (Proverbs 15:17) “Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.” (Proverbs 17:1) APPLICATION: Sure, you can and should give thanks to God for what He has done this past year in your life, but if you want to keep thanksgiving going- remember to thank Him for His GOODNESS!
PREPARE YOUR ATTITUDE
The lesson for us is pretty simple- GRATITUDE (thanksgiving) begins with ATTITUDE.
Our attitude is a CHOICE that we make.
Some folks choose to have a bad attitude. This is the kind of guy who complains about anything or anyone! If you gave them a bar of gold, they’d complain that it was too heavy to carry!
Other folks choose to have a positive attitude. This kind of person rarely has a bad day! If the paint peeled off their car, they’d rejoice over the fact that they didn’t have to wax it anymore!
The Psalmist had such a positive attitude toward God that he nearly passed out! “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” The Apostle Paul understood the importance of having a good attitude. It’s what moved him to exhort the Ephesian Christians to…

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” (Ephesians 4:31) APPLICATION: If you’re having a hard time getting the thanksgiving ball rolling, you may need to DELIBERATELY choose an attitude that is different from the one you might be holding right now. Are you WILLING to make the deliberate decision to be grateful and thankful before God? TRANSITION: Even if you just said “yes” to that question, you may still wonder: “What is there to be thankful for?” Well, that’s where this Psalm gives us some practical help in pondering the direction of our thanksgiving to God. Praise God For Who He IS (vs. 3-12)

Our thanksgiving needs to be directed by the reality of who God really is.
Many people find no reason to praise God- simply because they don’t know Him.
Others find no reason to praise God, because they have misconceptions about who He is- matter of fact, those misconceptions may have actually led them to become disappointed with Him because He didn’t measure up to their own picture of who they think He was supposed to be.
The Psalmist lists the praiseworthy attributes of God
He’s APPROACHABLE by even the tiny elements of Creation: Psalm 84:3 “Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young — a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.” Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving- kindness. APPLICATION: Isn’t it great to know that the Almighty God of the universe DESIRES you to be with Him?
God’s PRAISEWORTHY

Psalm 84:4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. APPLICATION: What a joy to know that in the midst of our sin soaked world, God remains completely unspoiled. His holiness, faithfulness, love and mercy never fade or change. God doesn’t have a bad day- He’s always worthy of our praise!

God’s STRONG Psalm 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
What a picture! The “valley of Baca” literally means, “the valley of tears”.
The Psalmist is simply stating that even though life is filled with hardship, God provides us with strength for each moment so that we may complete our journey in His presence! APPLICATION: Just think for a moment how God has carried YOU through YOUR “Baca Valley” this past year!
God’s ATTENTIVE Psalm 84:8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah 9 Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.
The only reason the Psalmist, or anyone for that matter, would offer a prayer to God is that he believed God would listen and answer according to His power and loving mercy.

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.” Psalms 145:18-19

APPLICATION: Just think for a moment how many times God answered your prayers this past year!

God’s SATISFYING Psalm 84:10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Possessing contentment is better than all the world’s treasures combined. It is the great quest of all mankind.
The Apostle Paul said: “...godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6) APPLICATION: Have you discovered the great peace and joyous blessing from God that allows you to say- “I have need of nothing.”? The Apostle put it this way: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13
God’s GENEROUS Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
James tells us… “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)
Psalm 84 reminds us that when it comes to giving from His storehouse, God is generous to those who walk with Him.

APPLICATION: Have you taken the time to quiet yourself and count God’s storehouse blessings?

God’s TRUSTWORTHY Psalm 84:12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
Have you ever had your trust violated? There is nothing quite so painful as a trust betrayed.
The Psalmist give us one final great reason for our thanksgiving to God by reminding us that everyone who has ever placed their trust in Him has been blessed
God’s track record is PERFECT! Who else could make such a claim! CONCLUSION: Approachable, Praiseworthy, Strong, Attentive, Satisfying, Generous and Trustworthy- THAT’S OUR GOD!. And for those reasons, we can set aside the disappointments of this sin broken world and enter Hiss presence with genuine Thanksgiving!