Psalms 100:4

Psalms 100:4 describes the arrival at the temple: "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name." Psalms 100:4 sits in a short psalm — five verses — with a simple title: a psalm of thanksgiving. The order in Psalms 100:4 matters: first the gates, then the courts.

Gratitude, here, comes before the request: it is the way in, not the response to a result.

The verbs pile up: enter, give thanks, bless. It is a liturgy of movement, not of contemplation.

The reason appears in the next verse and is the heart of the psalm: "For Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations." Gratitude rests on God's character, not on the day's circumstances.

It is one of the texts most used at thanksgiving services, family dinners and prayers before meals — and a good exercise for weeks when giving thanks does not come spontaneously.