“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
Psalm 100:4
God wants to hear from us, He desires a sincere relationship with us. But we rarely talk with Him.
Yes, He wants us to present our requests to Him (Phil. 4:6) and to cast our anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:7) but He also wants us to thank Him and express our gratitude (Ps. 106:1, 1 Chron. 16:34).
It’s easy to thank God when we are feeling blessed. After all, every good and perfect gift is from above (James 1:17) so we should be thanking God when good things come our way, when prayers are answered, when loved ones are healed, etc. However, the bible says that for those who belong to Christ, we should be thankful in ALL circumstances (1 Thess. 5:18).
When I was younger, I heard an incredibly inspiring story at church, from someone who really understood and had learned how to have a grateful heart in all circumstances.
She explained how her mom was diagnosed with cancer when she was at a very young age and that her family had prayed for healing and eventually her mom went into remission. Shortly after, however, the cancer symptoms returned. Obviously, this was something their family struggled with immensely. They acknowledged that they need to trust God but to thank Him was difficult to do during this time.
Her mom went into remission 3 other times before eventually passing from cancer. After her mom died she said that many people asked her if she was mad at God but she said no. In fact, she was grateful that He had allowed her mom to go into remission that many times and that He allowed her mom to have many more years with the family.
Her faith was so strong and her love for God was so evident. I still remember this story after 10+ years because I was inspired but her unshaken faith.
She made me realize that even when we are grieving, even when we are mistreated, even when we are betrayed, even when we ourselves are sick, we can and should thank and praise the Lord, even when we are not feeling very thankful for the circumstance.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28
When my faith was weak, I tended to shift blame toward God when harmful and sad things occurred in my life. I often was blaming Him when I encountered hardships more than I was thanking Him for the blessings and gifts He bestowed on my life.
A sign of spiritual maturity is when we are able to thank God in all things, when we don’t allow our emotions to affect our faith in God, and when we are able to stand firm on biblical truth rather than allow satan and our deceitful hearts to lead us astray from our savior.
“Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”
1 Peter 5:9
- By continually thanking God, we are reminding ourselves that all of our accomplishments, blessings, and gifts, are from Him and not simply because of our own doing. It humbles us.
- By expressing gratitude, it also helps remind us of how much we do have and prevent us from taking what God has given us for granted.
- Giving thanks also helps prevent us from coveting (Exodus 20:17). When we focus on our blessings rather than what we are lacking, we become more content with what God has given us and the circumstances in which God has placed us.
Learn to trust God and all of His promises and that will help you be thankful in all circumstances because you are able to trust His character and you know that He is working on your behalf, even when it doesn’t seem like it.
If this is difficult for you to do, I recommend starting your daily prayer by thanking God for the day itself and for what’s to come. You can begin thanking Him more generally (i.e., for your health, for providing you with food and shelter, for your family/friends, etc). Shortly after, you’ll be able to notice just how blessed you really are and how good our God is.
Thank you for reading and have a blessed day,
Olivia Butler (:
Liv(e)forChrist 