Psalm 75: 700 Seconds in a Psalm of Thanksgiving

Giving thanks can easily include some amount of self-praise.  Even in the middle of thanksgiving, we can find ourselves boast about what we have obtained or what we hope to accomplish.  Psalms of thanksgiving remind us that God is one who raises or lowers us.

In this psalm, thanksgiving is plucked to see if our act of giving thanks resonates with the truth that God is the One who establishes or cuts off our lives.  Boasting to elevate ourselves when giving thanks can have dire consequences as God can cut us down and display God's ability to judge and work wonders.  Boasting to elevate God when giving thanks can aid others in seeking aid in God who alone is worthy of all praise.  Psalm 50 invites us to declare God's praise forever and sing to the God who can lift us up or bring us down.