December 9
Psalm 107:1-2
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from trouble,
Pointing to Jesus
by Blair Browning, Ph.D.
As a Communication professor, I’m highly attuned to the fact that words matter, and the fact that in this Psalm, David begins with a command to “Give thanks” seems significant. There are numerous times within the Psalms and within all of Scripture that encourage us to give thanks. Perhaps this is because the Holy Spirit knew that we would need a reminder to pause during our daily busyness and worries to do so: to give thanks.
Our pastor once said, “You can’t be grateful for things you feel entitled to,” and it’s always stuck with me. I want to be grateful for the many things I’ve been blessed with, from my incredible family to my great friends to our incredible institution where I’ve spent my collegiate and entire vocational life. But sometimes as I thank God, I may forget to thank Him for the most important thing: His goodness that was so beyond words, He sent his Son to die for my sins so that I might have eternal life.
Another version of Scripture (NJKV) in verse 2 says “…His mercy endures forever.” I don’t think we should ever grow weary of thanking the Lord for His mercy. Sadly, at times, I may be quicker to tell the story of one of my kids’ accomplishments or a Baylor sports victory than of how the Lord has redeemed and saved me. The story of mercy that God extended by preventing us from getting what we deserve (Rom. 6:23) and instead granting us an inheritance to be co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17) is a story we should want to tell everyone!
As we watched the track relays in the Olympics this past summer, I told my family that I hoped nobody would drop the baton. The athletes prepare so hard and for so long that it has to be devastating to drop the baton and not fulfill one’s mission. In a similar vein, we must not be the generation who “drops the baton” from telling our story of faith - the story of a God who loves us and came to save us…He was on a rescue mission for us and for everyone around us. Let us not miss that our race and our mission are to further the Kingdom.
I pray that we celebrate all of God’s blessings – yes, including daily things like the accomplishments of our kids and of beating TCU! I just don’t want that to be the only story I tell others with my limited time. May we be overwhelmed with gratefulness for God’s goodness and use our influence and our words that we have to point people to Jesus today. Thank you, Lord, that Your love and mercy endure forever.
About the Author
Blair Browning, Ph.D.
Blair Browning, Ph.D., has been a member of Baylor’s faculty since 1999. Browning is a Professor and serves as Chair of the Department of Communication – a degree program with over 700 students in its major. His areas of expertise are Leadership and Communication and Conflict Management and he has published articles and book chapters in those areas as well as in communication and sport.
Dr. Browning earned his B.A. in Business and his M.A. in Organizational Communication at Baylor University before obtaining his Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from Texas A&M University. He has received the Mortar Board Circle of Achievement award multiple times at Baylor, been named a Baylor Fellow, and received the prestigious Collins Outstanding Professor award. He and his wife, Jordan (Baylor BBA in Marketing, 2000), have four children: Keely (current Baylor sophomore), Boone (Baylor class of 2030), Addy (Baylor class of 2033), and Kirby (Baylor class of 2036).