Tag: thanksgiving

I’m ashamed to say that sometimes I bulldoze my way into the Father’s presence and give Him this long list of wants and complaints. I don’t take the time as Paul did to say, “Blessed be the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ!”  All I can see is the mountain in front of me, and I don’t lift my eyes to see the King first. I forget that coming before my LORD is a sacred thing. How I want to be overwhelmed with the incredible magnificence of God so that, like Paul, I can’t help but exclaim my praise to His name.

Psalm 100:4 says: “𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆; 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆.” If we take the time to come before Him, blessing His name, first with thanksgiving and then with praise, the outcome of our time with him can be so very different.

When we look at this scripture, it’s interesting to see that thanksgiving and praise are two very separate things. I have often lumped them together. Thanksgiving is when we thank our loving Father for what He has done, for our children, our spouses, our jobs, the miracles of our present and past! As we begin to thank Him, we are reminded of all He has done, and faith begins to arise within us until we are at the place where praise bursts forth for who He is! Suddenly, we are in His presence, at His feet. What an incredible, mind-blowing gift. Thanksgiving will give you faith for your future, trust in the One who saved you, freedom, and joy!

There is so much in God’s Word about giving thanks, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever.”  Did you know that this beautiful little verse appears 81 times in the Old Testament? Even though the verse is short, our Father must think that giving thanks is no small matter! The Bible abounds with scriptures that tell us to give thanks—and when our hearts are full, and so much promise is in the air, it is easy to do that!

But our Father goes one step further: He challenges us to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  (1 Thess. 5:18). This is giving thanks when it feels as though the weight of the world is on our shoulders. We are to give thanks in the face of tragedy, heartache, and suffering; to give thanks even when it appears the Father is somewhere far, far away. Our glorious Lord wants thankfulness to become an attitude, not something we mumble as a duty.

Just as Paul did in every prison cell he was in, every shipwreck he was a part of, and every beating that he took, so must we become a people of praise and thanksgiving, a people who sing “Blessed be Your name!”  Perhaps it is then that we will hear the whole earth rejoice!!

Reflections

1. When you come to God in prayer, how do you start off this precious time with Him, with your list of needs or with blessings?  Does that reveal how you truly see Him: as a problem-solver first or as your LORD and Savior, your blessed King?  What steps can you take to change this?
2. How does starting your time with God with planned thanksgiving change your perspective on all those huge “mountains” in front of you?  Are there specific times that you can remember when gratitude reminded you of God’s past faithfulness and encouraged your faith?
3. Are you willing to give thanks to God even in the middle of painful or confusing seasons?  What would it look like for thankfulness to become your position, even in the middle of every trial and difficulty?

Step-By-Step

Today, let’s begin every prayer with a “Gate and Court” pattern: Thankfulness followed by Praise.  Let thankfulness and praise lift your head to see the King, before you ever speak about the mountain.