Ninth Hour

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This is why this psalm is found in the 9th hour of the Agpeya in which Christ completed redemption by His death on the cross. Therefore believers in God praise and thank Him for the salvation offered to them. We are to thank God everyday for dying for us and praise Him for His courage on the cross. The beauty of the cross is that we are to run to the cross in times of distress and we are to boast in only the cross as Saint Paul tells us in Galatians 6:14- “but God forbid I shall boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. ” Saint Paul is emphasizing to us the importance of the cross and how much it should truly mean to us. We should be thinking about the cross everyday, and one way we can do that is by praying the 9th hour, the hour in which our Lord suffered on the cross for us all. Psalm 100 tells us to “enter into his gates with thanksgiving. ” Every time we enter into the house of the Lord we are to do so with thanksgiving. Telling Him earnestly, “Thank you God for dying on the cross for my sins and accepting my sinful soul into Your house. ” When we enter the church, do we truly feel like we are blessed to be here? Do we realize the blessing that comes with being in the church of the Lord? That’s why we are told to enter into His gates with thanksgiving. Every time I enter the church I am to give thanks to God for all that He’s done for me, for opening His door to my weakness. When we enter the church, the first thing we should do is greet God for we are His guests. We thank Him and praise Him for blessing us and forgiving us. We should prepare ourselves by thanking Him always. We are then told to also “enter into His courts with praise. ” We are to earnestly praise God for dying for our weakness. We are to praise God for His mercy that He fills us with everyday, and His humility. Another way we can praise Him is by spreading His word. We are called to share the Love of God with those around us, because Saint Paul also tells us that to us is committed the oracles of God. God gave us His law not as a privilege; but rather as a stewardship (responsibility). So we received the word not to keep but to spread it to all. Through spreading His love and grace we praise Him and we not only benefit ourselves but through spreading His love we can benefit others. Sharing good news can be a sign of hope for someone struggling. So it’s always good to spread the word because you don’t know how much it can truly mean to someone. The psalm ends with “Be thankful to Him, praise His name. ” We see thankfulness emphasized in the thanksgiving prayer, “Let us give thanks to the beneficent and merciful God” we say. But do we live a life of thanksgiving? Do we constantly thank God throughout our day for His love and grace? Do we wake up in the morning and thank God for giving us another day, do we thank God for guarding us and guiding us throughout school? After an exam do I thank God for helping me and holding my hand? Before and after I eat do I thank God for providing me with food that others don’t have? Do I thank God everyday for Him dying for my sins? There is so much we can thank God for and that’s why this psalm teaches us to be thankful to Him and praise His name. How can we not? He died for us, filled us with His Holy Spirit, endured torture, and suffered for us. 

The least we can do is thank Him.

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