O Give Thanks!

This morning this verse has been on my mind:

"O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;" Psalms 105:1-5 KJV

I discovered it is almost identical to this one:

"Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.  Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;" 1 Chronicles 16:8-12  KJV

When I find repeating passages in the Bible, I figure the subject matter is something I'm being told to pay extra attention to, so this morning I want to praise Him and thank Him for miracles performed on my behalf.  I have recently had two different times where I felt so overwhelmed with all I had to do, and experienced a miracle of strength and joy.  Yesterday was a case in point.  I was feeling so overwhelmed that I was in tears.  Remembering His promise that His "yoke is easy" and His "burden is light" (Matthew 11:30) and that the joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10), I prayed for guidance to keep me pulling with Him in the yoke, and for His joy to give me strength.  And He once again came through for me, giving me joy and strength to carry on.  I am so grateful! Thank you, Father!  Thank you!  What an amazing thing the way You can turn my tears into joy!  I am so grateful!

Looking up the previous passages also brought me to another set of nearly identical passages - this time I found SIX of them!  Undoubtedly this speaks to something to which I need to pay attention!  Here are the passages:

1. "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever." 1 Chronicles 16:34 KJV
2. "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." Psalms 106:1 KJV
3. "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." Psalms 107:1 KJV
4. "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever." Psalms 118:1 KJV
5. "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." Psalms 118:29 KJV
6. "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." Psalms 136:1 KJV

I hate how easy it is for me to forget to give thanks.  Yesterday I experienced such a miracle as the overwhelming burdens were lifted from my shoulders as I yoked with my God.  My tears were turned to joy and I was given plenty of strength with which to complete my tasks.  And yet, this morning my first thoughts were of my to-do list, instead of praise!  

Father, thank you for this reminder!  I realize that these admonitions are NOT because you have such a big ego that you need continual praise, but because you know how much I NEED to live in a spirit of gratitude!  This is where the "joy of the Lord" comes from that is my strength, and I am so grateful.  Father, you are an amazing God and I am so thankful for the joy and strength you give me.  Once again, Father, I ask for guidance and strength for this day, and I am so grateful to know that you will indeed continue to work in me both to WILL and to DO of your good pleasure (Phil 2:13).  Thank you, Father!