What comes to mind when you think of the Thanksgiving holiday?
Family? Friends? Food? Football?
The start of the Christmas season? Time to decorate? Time to shop?
Often times the frenzy of preparing for a big holiday leaves us anxious and a bit out of sorts rather than focused on the reason behind the celebration itself.
This week as we come together with our families and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, here are a few Bible verses about giving thanks to help refocus on hearts and minds on why we celebrate, all the reasons we have to be thankful, and the one we owe all of our thanks to.
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
rooted and built up in him and established in the faith,
just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:6–7
“Thank you.”
Simple to say, profoundly significant. And strangely hard to do. When we don’t say, “Thank you,” it’s extremely revealing. Of all the valid things that might be said about the ignorance and waywardness of our hearts, Paul singles out ingratitude for special mention: “They didn’t thank God” (Romans 1:21). It’s as if “You never said thank you” is the transgression that clinches the case against us.
Thankfulness is a jewel in the crown of life. Colossians is a short letter but being thankful pops up seven times. “Thank you” is one of humility’s core instincts. Why wouldn’t I say thank you? Perhaps I don’t feel thankful. I feel entitled. I don’t recognize who’s giving me every good thing. I don’t want to need help or depend on anyone. I want to take all the credit for myself, thank you very much, and no thanks to you. But when I awaken to who gives me good gifts, I’m grateful.
And gratitude is a primary expression of sanity. First Corinthians 4:7 teaches us to say, What do I have that is not a gift?! James 1:17 teaches us to see that every good gift is from above, coming down from our Father.
So what are you thankful for? Think about that.
~ David Powlison in Take Heart
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6–7
Often, our prayers are too general and we never see the answers we desire. Bring to God as specific requests the things you worry about. Draw near to God with reverence and awe, and out of that ask him for particular things that will contribute to your holiness, to the holiness of the church, and the salvation of others. And then thank God for answers. When you remember all the things you have to give thanks to God for and you give thanks to him, your fears and anxieties tend to drop away. In thanksgiving, you deal with the reality of the kingdom, and the result of that is the gift of peace.
~ C. John Miller in Saving Grace
Give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
The preposition “in” is important. In part, Paul is saying that even in life’s hardest moments, God calls you to look for his grace, to search for his love, and to expect his mercy. Don’t let grief rob you of worship or permit a complaining spirit to replace a thankful heart. God doesn’t expect you to jump for joy when you suffer loss. But he has promised never to leave you. You will find blessings in the middle of your grief. Perhaps it will be someone’s love and support. Perhaps it will be financial provision. Perhaps a confusing decision becomes clear-er. Perhaps there will be precious family moments. Per-haps it will be a sense of God’s presence in a moment of struggle. Maybe the wisdom of his Word will guide just when you need it most. Perhaps your relationship with the Lord will deepen. Suffering has a way of clarifying truth for us. We see how weak and needy we are and we gain a deeper understanding of God’s powerful grace. We learn to seek him in ways we never have before and spiritual growth begins. Are you looking for the blessings that are hidden in your grief?
~ Paul David Tripp in The Heart of the Matter
Continue steadfastly in prayer,
being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
Colossians 4:2
As Paul is writing this letter, he is literally sitting in prison. If I were in prison and some-one were to pry into my prayer life, I imagine he would hear me praying desperately for my own concerns (my release being chief among them). However, the glimpse Paul gives us into his prison prayer life shows a man chiefly concerned with the gospel going forth. He wanted open doors for the gospel, not merely open prison doors for himself! He, who found reasons to keep depending upon and praising God even when unjustly imprisoned, exhorts the Colossians to remain steadfast and grateful in their own prayers.
~ Aimee Joseph in You Are Secure
Give us this day our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11
How might your prayer life change if you really believed God was the source of even your most basic daily needs? Perhaps thanksgiving before meals would become less rote. Maybe prayer would move from the list of things you’d like to do each morning to the list of things you wouldn’t dream of leaving undone! We make the mistake of thinking that we depend upon God for the big spiritual stuff—salvation from sin, the Holy Spirit, miraculous healing, etc.—but when it comes to the day-to-day grind, we’re in control. God gives spiritual blessings, but I’m the source of bread!
We do well to remember Moses’s admonition to the people entering the Promised Land, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:17–18). In other words, God is just as much the source of your physical blessings as he is your spiritual ones.
~ Adriel Sanchez in Praying with Jesus
Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
Psalm 65:1
However, some of us fail to offer thanks because we don’t recognize that God has done anything particularly great for us. We may have not received anything particularly great recently because we have doubted his ability to answer prayer, and so we haven’t asked. Maybe we don’t ask for much because we don’t really believe our sins are forgiven. Instead, rather than living as a chosen people, we live as orphans begging for bread while an overladen table of spiritual blessings is lovingly set before us to be consumed.
The way to experience again the joy of your salvation is, like David, to intentionally give thanks. Try for just one week to look for reasons to give thanks to your Savior. Refuse to complain about all that is going wrong; instead, force yourself instead to recognize the good things Christ is doing. Start with small things. If you are breathing, thank him for that. If you have a job, thank him for that. If you have a meal, thank him for that. At the end of your week, consider why you had so much to thank him for. Your answer will surely be that it is only because he loves you.
~ George Robertson in Soul Anatomy
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:2–5
Psalm 103 is a psalm of thanksgiving, one of about forty thankful or praise-focused psalms that recount God’s goodness to his people. But these psalms are not just reminders of God’s past deeds; they are divinely-given signposts for our current spiritual journeys. When the hardships of daily life pile up, it’s easy to lose track of who God is and what he has faithfully done for us. That’s when we need a prayer like Psalm 103 to remind us to “forget not all his benefits.”
~ Barbara Miller Juliani and Patric Knaak in Psalms: Real Prayers for Real Life
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart . . . .
Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.
Psalm 111:1–2
The attitudes of boredom, complaining, and ingratitude are often interconnected. Sometimes not being thankful is expressed through feeling bored and then complaining. These attitudes may reflect that someone is having a bad day. But at heart, they may also signal that one is missing the connection between the Creator and his creation. Unbelievers shut their eyes to the Source of the world they live in (Romans 1:21). But God intends his people to enjoy what he’s made, to recognize why they enjoy it (because he made it), and to give him thanks.
~ Champ Thornton in Why Do We Say Thank You?
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 118:1
Take a moment to think of all the reasons why you are thankful for what God has done for you. Is he good? Does he walk with you through difficult times? Take a moment to create a list of praises. Be sure to thank God for the greatest praise of all: sending his only Son, Jesus, to be your Savior. Rejoice in his great rescue for you on the cross and the great hope of eternal life.
Today when you gather for a meal, take a moment and have everyone share one thing God has done for them. Then after each one, repeat the words of Psalm 118. Or ask family or friends to gather together to share praises to God. You can share words, prayers, or songs. As you each take turns sharing, listen well to each other and then respond with the words: Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!
~ Marty Machowski in WonderFull
