Give thanks to the Lord
Hey y'all.
This month I want to focus on the action of thanksgiving. Now I know the moment we mention thanksgiving, our first thought is always food, but I wanted us to stop for a moment and ask ourselves, what does thankfulness mean?
How do we show gratitude? When should we be thankful? What am I truly thankful for? Because there were 4 main questions that i asked myself, I thought, well why not make it a full month long series on thankfulness and thanksgiving?!
Today, I want to start this series off with what thankfulness really means. According to the definition, it is a word that describes feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative. In other words, it is a way we express the way we feel for what we have, or what we’ve experienced. Does that mean only positive experiences? NO!!! It is an understanding that ALL we live through is ordained by God for HIS glory. Why should we be thankful in our trials and tribulations? Because Jesus said that His power is made perfect in our weakness (2Corinthians 12:9 ESV). We must “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV). In our humanity, we may allow our anxieties about tomorrow dictate our mood, bur we must take a stand and rely on God and His word to be sufficient proof that God’s plan is better for us than we can ever imagine. Philippians 4:6 ESV states “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”. Does this mean that God doesn’t know what we desire? Absolutely not! This is asking us to operate under the spirit of courage that God has given each and every one of us. Scripture has told us this:
“Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”- Hebrews 4:16 CSB
Giving thanks to God is also a worship posture. When I taught my daughter how to pray, I told her that the word pray, can be used as an acronym to help us know what to say when praying. P stands for PRAISE. I explained to her that praising God meant to thank God for who He is and what He’s done. R means to REPENT of our sins. A means to ASK for help during difficult times, ASK for God to help our friends, family, acquaintances, government, etc. Y means YIELD your will for God to do His will.
That was when my daughter was 6 (6 years ago). Today, my daughter has developed her own way to talk to the Lord that sounds similar to how she speaks to her daddy (earthly dad). Teaching her how to pray also impacted the way I prayed and gave thanks to my Heavenly Father. My prayer became more simple, using the every day language I use so that I know exactly what it is I am asking for God to do in my life. I use plain language to thank God because I am not an eloquent speaker. I struggle to get the words out, writing is what comes natural to me. With this my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I want to encourage you to talk to God like he’s your father, because HE IS! I struggled for many years knowing how to talk to God because I didn’t understand that He actually wants to hear our “yapping” (that’s what my soon to be 12 year old calls excited talking)! Thank your Father in Heaven for His willingness to lend his ear in all circumstances!