The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.” Psalm 28:7
Thanksgiving is upon us, and we have so much to be grateful for in this life, every single day. Often times the continual demands of life, the battles we face, and the worries about tomorrow keep our minds focused on defeat rather than allowing our hearts to be thankful. Or we forget sometimes, in the midst of busyness and pressures, just to pause and give thanks for all that God has done and continues to do in our lives.
Sometimes it really is a sacrifice to offer praise and thanks. We may not feel like it ‘cause we’re struggling, or we’re just tired, or maybe, we feel like He let us down. We think God seems distant, like he’s far away, or doesn’t really care about what’s bothering us.
But here’s what can make a lasting difference. We have a choice, every day, to give Him thanks. And with a heart of thanksgiving, we realize that no matter what we face, God doesn’t just work to change our situations and help us through our problems. He does far more than that. He changes our hearts. His power, through hearts of gratitude and minds focused on Him, releases the grip our struggles have over us. We’re strengthened by His peace and refueled and energized by His joy.
No matter what our current situation, or the struggles we may be facing, here’s what choosing to be thankful does:
– It gets our eyes off ourselves, and helps us to focus back on God.
– It reminds us we’re not in control, but that we serve a Mighty God who is.
– It keeps us in a place of humility and dependency on Him, as we recognize how much
we need Him.
– It helps us to recognize that we have so much to be thankful for, even all the little
things, which we often may forget to thank Him for.
– It takes our attention off our problems and helps us instead to reflect on the goodness of
His many blessings.
– It reminds us that God is the Giver of all good gifts. We were never intended to be fully
self-sufficient in this life.
– A grateful heart reminds us that ultimately God is our Provider, that all blessings and
gifts are graciously given to us by His hand.
– A heart of gratitude leaves no room for complaining, because it is impossible to be truly
thankful and filled with negativity and ungratefulness at the same time.
– It makes the enemy flee. The forces of darkness can’t stand to be around hearts that give
thanks and honor to God. Our praise and thanksgiving will make them flee.
– It opens the door for continued blessings.
– It invites His presence. God loves to give good gifts to His children. He delights in our
thankfulness and pours out His Spirit and favor over those who give honor and
gratitude to Him.
Maybe you’re in a hard place right now. Maybe you feel like God has left you on your own to fend for yourself, or the battle seems too hard. Maybe there’s never enough money left at the end of the month and you can’t figure out how to make things work. No matter what, in it all, be assured that God is with you and He cares. Choose a heart of gratefulness today. Make a list of all that God has blessed and filled your life with, that at times it’s easy to take for granted. Trust He knows what concerns you and is at work even now, to bring you through this uncertain season. Thank Him for providing all you need.
A portion of Psalm 136 encourages us to do the following:
Psalm 136
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever….
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.