Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving
Psalms 100:4 – Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving, Part 1
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – November 1st, 2026 (am)
I had dinner out with one of our men last Monday—as I often do on days when there’s a shower for one of our women—and, as we entered the restaurant, the sky was ablaze with a rather dramatic sunset. It wasn’t one of those multi-colored displays that often shows up in the fall. It was just ripples and waves of bright pink against the darkening blue of evening. It looked like an expressionist painting of the churning surface of an ocean hanging upside-down in the sky. We commented and enjoyed the greatness of our God, then went on inside to eat. As we came out it was dark and some wispy clouds were still scattered around the mostly clear sky. But some of them stretched across the full hunter’s moon, blurring the bottom half of it, putting on a display that was every bit as impressive as the colorful sunset earlier.
You don’t even need to know God in order to appreciate such dramatic demonstrations of His power and great glory. Psalm 65 says 8 … that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at [His] signs. Even so, these are not the most impressive things He does. Earlier in this same Psalm 65, David says of God that 3 When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions. 4 Blessed is the one you choose to bring near to dwell in your courts! … So, even while we continue to battle with sin (cf. Rom.5:8), our God covers our transgressions and brings us near to Himself, insinuating reconciled relationship (3). He brings us into [His] courts, into [His] very house, even [His] temple, which is the architectural representation of [His] holiness! (4) Surely, this is the greatest demonstration not only of the power of our God, but also of His character. He’s not just the God of all creation, He’s the God of new creation, which, as we can now see, makes Him the God of restored creation. Rebel sinners are cleansed to such pristine purity that reconciliation to Himself is no threat of any sort to His perfect holiness!
And this is an OT passage! No wonder David wrote it as a song for the choirmaster! Israel needed to sing it! So do we! Praise is due to [our God] (Psa.65:1). Worship and service exemplify our proper response to Him. Thanksgiving should be our default disposition toward Him as we [come into] his courts (Psa.100:4) and enter his house and engage his holiness (Psa.65:4).
In Psalm 100, praise and worship put us in our proper place before God and keep us there. Thanksgiving pleases Him. It blesses his name (Psa.100:4). And it continually reminds us not only of Who He is but of who we are before Him, and of all we’ve received from Him, and of all we owe to Him! Giving thanks is the key to developing many spiritual strengths and character qualities according to Scripture, as we should see more of over these next four weeks. But we need to begin by recognizing its preeminence in our relationship with God. Psalm 100 helps us do that, especially v.4, but let’s listen to the whole poem. 1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! / 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! / Come into his presence with singing! / 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! / It is he who made us, and we are his; / we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. / 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, / and his courts with praise! / Give thanks to him; bless his name! / 5 For the Lord is good; / his steadfast love endures forever, / and his faithfulness to all generations. Let’s dig into these charges in v.4 toward cultivating a thankful heart.
This psalm as whole divides naturally into two parts, vv.1-3 and vv.4-5. Each includes a call to give thanks then a rationale for [giving thanks] (VanGemeren 741). If you put vv.1 and 2 together, you can see that each of these statements comes in three parts: a threefold invitation: shout, [serve], come (1-2), followed by a threefold affirmation: God, made us, his (3); then a second threefold invitation: enter, give thanks, [bless] (4), followed by a second threefold affirmation of God’s nature: He is good, [loving], [faithful] (Motyer 550). So, we’re looking today at the second (4) of two three-part invitations in this psalm. Surely it not only echoes the first (1-2), but completes it, clarifies it, perhaps even advances it, applies it. Not only do we hear a call to [worship] (serve) in vv.1-2 return (praise) in v.4, sandwiched between two mentions of thanksgiving, but the charge to enter in v.4 uses the same verb that was translated to come in v.2. So, we’re called to [come]… with thanks and to [come]… with praise [into the presence of the Lord] And in so doing, we bless his name (4). Thanksgiving and praise go together, because the Lord reveals himself both in his perfections and [in his] acts (VanGemeren 743). He shows us Who He is and He displays what He does. He allows His creatures to know Him, and He calls them to get to know Him. He makes that offer not only to those who believe, but to all humankind. That’s the range in we see in v.1: 1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
So, praise and thanksgiving mark a proper mindset for engaging with God. If we want to prepare ourselves for a time of worship or prayer or even fellowship, thanksgiving is a really good way to do that—a biblically approved way, even a biblically commanded way! Psalm 100 is the only one in the whole collection with the superscription, A Psalm for giving thanks. So, if you’re feeling distant from God, if you want to draw near to Him, give thanks. If you’re moved to pray, to converse with God, and you don’t quite know where to start, give thanks. If you can’t think of anything to give thanks for, just read Psalm 100! You’ll find a lot of help here. For instance, He made us; we belong to Him; He takes care of us (3). So, we don’t need to wonder for a moment why we’re here, or whether we matter to anyone. We don’t need to feel like an accident or a mistake. We don’t ever need to feel alone. We don’t need to wonder whether anyone cares about us. The God of all creation—the God Who doesn’t do anything unintentional or frivolous; the God Who, by nature, [does] all things well (Mar.7:37)—made us! He owns us, and takes care of us, and invites us into personal relationship with Himself! (2Pe.3:9; cf. Psa.100:1)
Beyond this, if you’re engaging with God’s people and you’re just not sure how best to interact with them, give thanks! Just open the conversation by expressing thanks to God for something you love about Him, or something He’s done. Or even give thanks to that brother or sister for something they’ve done that honors God. Surely, the primary meaning here is that our thanksgiving is offered to God for Who He is and what He’s done, but He’s also honored as we give thanks to one another for things He enables us to do, things that please Him and bless his name. And He’s especially honored when we affirm that it all comes from Him. How often does Paul do that at the start of his letters? And when he calls us to give thanks in all circumstances (1Th.5:18; Part 3), it’s right on the heels of his charge to respect those who labor among you…, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work (1Th.5:12, 13). It’s hard to imagine that this wouldn’t include thanking them for all they’ve done, even though, again, we recognize that it’s God Who enables it all. So, God is good and his steadfast, saving love endures forever (5). But we can also give thanks to others whom He uses to bless us. In fact, we can make intentional efforts to cultivate a thankful heart by doing just that. Consider this: ask God in prayer whom you should thank as one practical way of thanking Him, of blessing his name (4). Make a list and move through it systematically. Keep a running list and just keep on doing it. Thank them in-person. Write them a note. Pray for them with thanksgiving, the way Paul did; we’ve encountered a lot of that in our series on prayer.
This may also get you started on making a similar list of God’s blessings to you, His benefits, like David wrote in Psa.103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—[don’t] forget [any of] his benefits! David primed the pump for us there. He listed forgiveness and healing (Psa.103:3) and redemption and love and mercy (Psa.103:4). He also reminds us that God satisfies [us] with good so that [we’re deeply refreshed in spirit] (5). He provides for us because He knows our need of Him even if we forget; he remembers that we are dust (Psa.103:14). Now, there’s something to thank God for: he remembers our need of Him even though we routinely forget. He knows full well that there’s no way in the world for us to do this on our own, to hear the call of Psalm 100:4 and obey it in a manner worthy of Him. He knows full well from Psalm 65 that if He doesn’t atone for our transgressions (Psa.65:3), we won’t enter his gates (4) at all, not to mention with thanksgiving. We won’t make a joyful noise to [Him] (1), or serve [Him] with gladness, or come into his presence with singing (2). None of this will happen unless God Himself intervenes on our behalf with the saving, cleansing love of Jesus.
Conclusion
And when He does that—when He cleanses us and reconciles us to Himself; when He [blesses [us whom He’s chosen] and [brings us] near, to dwell in [His] courts and be satisfied with the goodness of [His] house, and the holiness of [His] temple (Psa.65:4)—we will surely lack for nothing in our quest to enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise; as we seek to give thanks to him and bless his name! (Psa.100:4) Trusting Christ as Savior is the absolutely essential first step toward developing a proper disposition toward God—a heart with a default setting of thanksgiving and praise toward Him. That’s how we experience his steadfast love and taste of his faithfulness [in our] generation (5). And experiencing his steadfast love and faithfulness [in our] generation is precisely what will fill our hearts and minds and mouths with thanksgiving and praise to God.
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Resources
Carson, D. A., R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham, eds. 1994. New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition. Psalms, by J. A. Motyer, 485-583. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.
Clendenen, E. Ray, and Kenneth A. Matthews, eds. 2019. The New American Commentary. Vol. 13, Psalms 73-150, by Daniel J. Estes. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.
Grudem, Wayne, ed. 2008. ESV Study Bible. Study notes on Psalms, by C. John Collins. Wheaton: Crossway.
Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. 1996. Commentary on the Old Testament. Vol. 5, Psalms. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.
Longman III, Tremper, and David E. Garland, eds. 2008. Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Revised Edition). Vol. 5, Psalms, by Willem A. VanGemeren. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Metzger, Bruce M., gen. ed. John D. W. Watts & James W. Watts, OT eds. 1983. Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 20, Psalms 51-100, by Peter C. Craigie. Grand Rapids: Word.
Spurgeon, C. H. n.d. The Treasury of David, 3 vols. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.
Wiseman, Donald J., ed. 1973. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Vol. 16, Psalms 73-150, by Derek Kidner. Downers Grove: InterVarsity.
NEXT SUNDAY: Part 2, Instead Let There Be Thanksgiving, Ephesians 5:4