Giving Thanks

Something in today's Lectionary reading caught my eye.

Psalm 108
[1] My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make melody. Awake, my soul!
[2] Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.
[3] I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples,
and I will sing praises to you among the nations.
[4] For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens,
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

So many times in Scripture we read about giving thanks with music. As the daughter of musicians I find myself engrossed in a world that constantly reminds me of music. One simple word can trigger any number of melodies and lyrics. Oftentimes I don't even realize I'm singing to myself as I go about on daily business. A long time ago when I was on a mission trip with my middle and high school youth group, I was given an award for singing too much. Those in the group thought it would be funny, but I was very hurt. I wasn't singing to annoy them. I wasn't singing because I had nothing better to do. I was singing because I was happy. ["I sing because I'm happy. I sing because I'm free, for His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."] Psalm 150 tells us to give thanks with all sorts of instruments, Psalm 96 and others says to "sing a new song".
King David gave thanks by singing and dancing. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." It's one of the harder activities we are called to do. How can we give thanks when our hearts are broken for ourselves or others?
I'm not sure we can.
Sometimes our hearts are not steadfast, they are broken.

I can only offer one idea, and it's not even my own: "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit" [Psalm 34:18]. Psalm 34 does not tell us how the Lord is near to the brokenhearted, only that God is. If our hearts are broken, it is God's love that must fill us so hopefully once again we can raise our voices in thanksgiving.

" For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens,
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds."