Todah Today
God's grace, goodness, and generosity have the power to transform your life into a life of praise and worship.
“If they offer it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering they are to offer thick loaves made without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, thin loaves made without yeast and brushed with oil, and thick loaves of the finest flour well-kneaded and with oil mixed in."
Leviticus 7:12, 15, 29
One offering that could be made was an offering of thanksgiving. Why would someone do this? In recognition for all that God has given, a person could choose to respond by offering back to God thanksgiving. The Hebrew word for thanksgiving, todah, is a word that means praise, confess, or acknowledge publicly. It was often used after God rescued someone and it was immediate praise.
The enemy of our lives wants us to keep our praise private, feel ashamed about outward expressions of thanks, and to avoid sharing our stories. God wants the opposite. What has God done for you today? Have you stopped to offer immediate, public praise?
“The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory. Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart."
Psalms 97:6, 10-12
David shares an insight about unlocking the joy of gratitude. He says the light shines on the upright in heart. The expression upright in heart points to a person who not only wants to do right, but who is following with an undivided heart God's will.
The tension is about who will be in control. Who gets to decide the direction you will go. Jesus said blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. It is the same concept as upright in heart. If you follow His leading you will see Him move and do the miraculous. Will you give God control of the steering wheel today? Does He get full control of the direction you go?
“Look! It is Solomon’s carriage, escorted by sixty warriors, the noblest of Israel, all of them wearing the sword, all experienced in battle, each with his sword at his side, prepared for the terrors of the night.”
Song of Songs 3:7-8
Wisdom tells us we are not meant to travel alone. We will all face terrors of the night. Fears, anxieties, and worries. Dark times. How does wisdom tell us to get through them? With the people around us.
Who are you surrounding yourself with and who are you supporting? Are you traveling with people armed for spiritual battles and who can help you in your time of need? Are you prepared to help others?
“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. I will build you up again...Make your praises heard, and say, ‘Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’ See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth...they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord— the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow...The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah...I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people."
Jeremiah 31:3-4, 7-8, 11-13, 31, 33-34
Followers of Christ have the opportunity to impact the world around them through their response to the joy of their salvation. God says He gives an everlasting covenant. He calls us to build our lives on Him. To be centered in His unfailing kindness and everlasting love. The Lord invites us to sing, dance, and celebrate all that He provides and to recognize our identities as children of God.
We are invited to live in the truth of who God is and who we are to Him. How do you see yourself today? Do you feel free or burdened? Are you mourning or glad? Jesus will meet you where you are and wants to speak the truth into your circumstances that better days are ahead.
“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples...As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do...Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing...the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument...Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength...At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God...Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.”
Acts 9:1, 3-8, 15-20, 27
Saul was on the wrong road. He was heading the wrong way. He thought he was doing what was right but he was wrong. Jesus meets Saul right where He was and then one encounter transforms Paul's life. Let us not miss the beauty of this story. In Jeremiah, God says He meets us with unfailing kindness. He did not cast Paul away. Jesus invites Him to become who he was made to be. How does Paul respond? With Todah!
He immediately responds with a grateful heart and starts sharing the good news with all people. He steps into his calling. He does not dwell on the past or feel guilty about being wrong. How easy it would have been to live in the guilt and shame of having been wrong knowing all he had done. Saul was a murderer, but Jesus gives him a new name. The truth is Paul was meant to be a way maker. A preacher to all nations and a vessel of God's love.
The redemption in this story is the same redemption we are all offered each day. It does not matter where we have been, what we have done, or where we are. Jesus has a calling for you. He wants to transform your life. He wants you to experience the grace of God and respond with todah. Giving thanks and loving God back is always a choice. Will we choose to put the practice of today ahead of the tasks of today? We were made to worship, praise, and proclaim the good news of how Jesus transforms our lives. Don't wait. Be like Paul and step into the life you were made to live.