Wonders of a Grateful Heart

Gratitude is a virtue highly appreciated both in heaven and on earth. The expressed will of God for us is that we may be grateful, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Only grateful people will go to heaven: those who are deeply moved by the sacrifice done for them on the cross of Calvary and willingly surrender their heart to their Master. If our faith and our hope do not come out of a thankful heart, we are in danger of losing both. Only those who are grateful can sing praises to the Lord at all times, and that kind of place is heaven.

Grateful people forgive and forget, are happy and generous, do not complain, they are able to see the bright side of things and can walk by faith. They do not fail to see a manifestation of God’s love in EVERYTHING, even in misfortune, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” Romans 8:28.

That kind of a person was David; no wonder he composed so many psalms! There is one practically for every occasion! Who has not at least once found his thoughts and feelings literally expressed in a psalm? All of them distil deep gratitude.

It is not only on paper that David expressed his gratefulness to his God, or when he played wonderful melodies on a string instrument in the stillness of the night, but many acts of his life are a testimony of the gratitude that dwelt in his heart.

In the Old Testament, in the 19th chapter of 1 Chronicles, we find a story from where we can learn quite a few things and see this wonderful trait of David’s character. “Now it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead. And David said, ‘I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.’ And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.” (1 Chronicles 19:1, 2)

“I will show kindness”- in the Spanish translation it says “mercy” and in the German one “friendship” which amounts to the same thing since a real friend practices kindness and mercy with his fellowmen. Every real friend is a gift from heaven and the Bible tells us that he who wants to have friends has to show friendliness. Jesus calls Himself our friend and if we count on Jesus’ friendship we have the best Friend we can have.

In the Scriptures we find a wonderful example of real friendship in the relationship between David and Jonathan. It is written that David loved Jonathan as he loved his own soul. (1 Samuel 20:17). David was such a faithful friend that when Jonathan died, he asked, “Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1). King Saul was envious of David and persecuted him, but his son Jonathan was a faithful friend. David treasured this friendship so much that when Jonathan died he looked for someone of his family to whom he could show mercy and kindness and he found a son of Jonathan’s who was lame. Are we doing the same? Are we looking for those who are left from our late friends’ or relatives’ family to show kindness to them? This is the best way to preach the gospel!

In today’s story David wants to show kindness to Hanun, the son of the king of the Ammonites, because his father had been kind to him. David’s acts of mercy and kindness are triggered by gratitude. Unfortunately, usually the opposite happens among people. Many times, just for minor things, enmity is cultivated, and this can pass from one generation to the other.

David sent messengers to the king’s son to console him, “But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, ‘Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? Are not his servants come unto thee for to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?” (1 Chr. 19:3)

Every king and president has his counsellors who give him advise on how to handle things. How important it is to have good advisors, people who are guided by God’s Spirit! Mistrust and suspicion can be very bad counsellors. The Bible tells us that we should not judge because we do not know the heart of man and cannot see his motivation. The Spirit of God gives us discernment between good and evil, but it is not God’s will that we suspect always what is evil. It is a very bad habit to make manifest to others our negative thoughts or our suspicion over someone’s motivation because they may have such a bad influence upon others that can lead them to handle things in an unrighteous way.

Hanun, the son of the king of the Ammonites, believed what his advisors told him. So what did he do? Let us continue reading the story, “Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the midst hard by their buttocks, and sent them away.” This act had the purpose of humiliating them. Hanun acted according to the suspicion that was sown into his heart by his counsellors. “Then there went [certain], and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them: for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, ‘Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and [then] return.” David manifested once more the nobility of his character by allowing the men to remain far from home until their beards grew and they had once again a dignified appearance.

How does the story develop further on? “And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Syriamaachah, and out of Zobah. So they hired thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people; who came and pitched before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.” The Ammonites got together and prepared themselves for war. They looked for allies and invested money in military equipment! One evil decision led to another. They could not believe that David would not retaliate and their fear led them to even a more aggressive action which this time involved other nations. Something that was meant for good led to a war only because a couple of people expressed their negative thoughts and influenced the king. This happens not only in the administration of a nation, but also within the family circle, among friends, in our work place and even in the church. How sad it is when parties are formed taking sides for one or the other person, when a cold war goes on sometimes for years in a place where warm fellowship and love should be cultivated and treasured! That is why God’s word is clear and sharp and tells us that we shall be judged for every word we say.

“But the tongue can no man tame; [it is] an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.” James 3:8, 9. The tongues of Hanun’s counsellors were deleterious darts that poisoned the young king’s heart to the point that he was blind to the expression of David’s gratitude.

May the Lord help us to cultivate what is good and to avoid evil, mostly in our thoughts since they influence our feelings and lead us either to evil or to good acts. May He help us to keep our mind busy with all the good done to us in heaven and on earth so that we may grow in gratitude.
Amen.

Teresa Corti