Alcoholics Anonymous have developed a ‘twelve step programme’ to helping people struggling with alcohol addiction, beginning with the acknowledgment that in themselves, people were powerless to overcome the addiction and needed the help of a ‘higher Power’. The Psalms give us many reasons for thanksgiving, but we are looking at just twelve of these reasons which give us hope in all situations.

God is Gracious

God’s grace surrounds us and supports us. We cannot earn it or deserve it, but His grace is poured our freely to us (see Ps 103:8; Ps 111:4; Ps 116:5). God’s grace is like the sunshine on our faces (see Ps 67:1), bringing us into freedom and hope. Grace means we can be held up at all times; it like a life buoy keeping us afloat and safe in choppy seas.

God is Compassionate

God literally ‘suffers with’ us (see Ps 86:15, Ps 103:8, Ps 145:8). His compassion for us means we are never alone in our grief and troubles; as a father has compassion on children, so God has compassion on us. (Ps 103:13) God’s compassion means we can bring our sorrows and heartache to Him and so we can even give thanks in our suffering, for God’s compassion is great (Ps 119:156) to all He has made (Ps 145:9).

God is Forgiving

Without God’s forgiveness, we would have no hope at all (see Ps 130:3-4), but God is the One who forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases (Ps 103:3). His forgiveness offers us cleansing (Ps 51:2) and paves the way to blessing (Ps 32:1) and service (Ps 130:4). God’s forgiveness gives us a fresh start, washing the slate clean and giving us a second (and third and fourth…!) chance. The weight of guilt and shame can be lifted by God’s cleansing forgiveness.

God is Love

The Psalms tell us that God’s love ‘endures forever’ (see Ps 118:1, 12; Ps 136:1-3) and talk of God’s unfailing love (see Ps 52:8; Ps 31:16; Ps 26:3; Ps 107:15, 21, 31; see also 1 Cor 13). We can be thankful because God loves us for who we are (dearly loved children made in His image) and not for what we can do. We do not have to earn God’s love; it is a free gift offered to us every day. Just as a plant is nourished by sunlight, so God’s love nourishes and nurtures us. Even if we are forsaken and rejected by people, God’s love remains constant and unchanging.

God is Good

God’s goodness is the basis of all He does because He always acts in consistency (congruence) with His nature. He is good and what He does is good. (Ps 119:68) His goodness is talked about in many psalms (e.g. Ps 73:1; Ps 23:6; Ps 118:1, 12; Ps 136:1; Ps 145:7); He is indeed a ‘good, good Father’, as Chris Tomlin sings. God is able to turn evil into good, to work for the good of those who love Him in every situation (see Rom 8:28). The enemy lies to us about God’s goodness. The world tells us we cannot trust in God’s goodness when we see evil flourishing. Nonetheless, goodness is at the heart of who God is and is our security at all times.

God is Just

Righteousness and justice are often closely linked (see Ps 36:6; Ps 89:14; Ps 11:6; Ps 50:6). We live in a world of injustice and our perspective can be tainted because of this (see Ps 73). When we realise God is just, we can have confidence even when we suffer injustice, and we can trust God ultimately to right all wrongs. Ps 101:1 tells us that justice and love can be the theme of our songs!

God is Merciful

God’s mercies are new every morning and His mercy becomes a great source of hope for us, whether we have sinned, are in great need or in trouble (see Ps 31:9; Ps 25:6; Ps 41:4; Ps 57:1; Ps 79:8; Ps 130:2). God does not treat us as our sins deserve, which is the essence of mercy (see Ps 103:10). Mercy reflects God’s kindness to us. We would be lost without the mercy of God and can therefore be thankful that His mercy has found us and rescued us!

To Be Continued…!