It’s that time of the year where we are told to gear up for a season of thanksgiving. A time of year that people are more open to the activity than any other time of the year. But for those who know Jesus Christ, thanksgiving (along with prayer) are to be a daily event, if not even more. Here is a way to think of thankfulness by using Scripture.
Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires (Psalm 37:4).
How great are thy works, O Lord! (Psalm 92:5 KJV).
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name (Psalm 96:8 NASB).
Now know I that the Lord saveth His anointed (Psalm 20:6 KJV).
Know ye that the Lord He is God! (Psalm 100:3 KJV).
Salvation belongeth unto the Lord! (Psalm 3:8 KJV).
Good and upright is the Lord (Psalm 25:8).
I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice (Psalm 116:1 KJV).
Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case (Psalm 43:1 NASB). I have hoped for Thy salvation, O Lord (Psalm 119:166 KJV).
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory (Psalm 115:1 KJV).
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised (Psalm 96:4).
Prayer and thankfulness are often joined in the Scriptures (Daniel 6:10) (Philippians 4:6) (Colossians 1:3) (Colossians 4:2) (1 Timothy 2:1). Prayer is an expression of our thankfulness to our gracious, loving, and giving God. Our God has given us physical life and He has provided the things necessary to sustain our lives such as, food, water, air, a dwelling place, and so on. But more importantly, He has given us spiritual life (John 10:10) (2 Peter 1:3). This life was given to us through the precious sacrifice of His Son (John 3:16) (2 Corinthians 8:9). Our natural reaction to such a wonderful gift as this should be that of Paul, who said: “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15). The Christian is thankful for the “past” blessings from God.
We are also to be thankful for His providence (Romans 8:28) (1 Peter 3:12). We as Christian’s have the assurance that we are under the watchful eye and care of our Creator. We are thankful for His promises (Matthew 28:20) (2 Timothy 4:16-17) (Titus 1:2) (Hebrews 13:5-6) (2 Peter 3:9). Thankfully, we as Christians serve a “promise-keeping” God. Our Lord is coming back for us (John 14:1-3) (Acts 1:9-11), and He has promised to give us eternal life (Matthew 25:21,46). With all this, today is the day to express your thankfulness to God.