Live in Thanksgiving

I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. (Psalm 7:17, NKJV)

This time of the year is characterized by celebrations, sharing of gifts and family gatherings, clearly a great time of the year. Celebrating the season also makes us reflect on the goodness we have experienced, yes, there have been some difficult times, but we can also count good times that gave us smiles.  Moments of cheer leave our hearts lighter and hopeful. Pondering on this gave a knowing that the spirit of this season should not be just for the holidays but should be our daily disposition, living in a spirit of joy, gratitude and hope. I do not know about you, but this is calling for a change in my attitude to life.  

Apostle Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4), yes, this is God’s will for us, so why are we not able to live in continued joy, praise and thankfulness? Brethren, as I dug for an answer, I understood that what we focus on is what determines what our disposition becomes.  If we focus on what is happening moment by moment, then our hearts will feel and reflect the emotions of the moment which keep changing. What if we focused on who God is, the never changing God eternal whose love for us never is steadfast?  Our reference verse calls us to be thankful to God and to praise Him for His character of righteousness, it is about Him and who He is.  We have known Him to be forever faithful and unchanging, that becomes our anchor for the joy in our hearts borne from the revelation in our hearts that He is forever true.  It is the character of God which calls our hearts to rejoicing and praising.

Beloved, there is no way that we can genuinely reflect on God’s character and not just bow in worship for the greatness of who He is.  When we are in this space of worship, our hearts spontaneously become joyful and thankful to Him, not for what is happening around us but for the constant that He is.  When we rest our vision and focus on His character, His promises towards us become our expected reality and our hearts are settled in praise regardless of the circumstances. It is easy to be thankful when all is going well but what of the times when situations are difficult?  When our focus for thankfulness is God alone, the verse that all things work out for the good of those who love the Lord (Romans 8:28) becomes our reality and we see this fulfilled in spite of the circumstance of our lives. Giving thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18) gains new meaning.  We practice giving thanks because we know who is in charge. 

Beloved, if anyone needs a confirmation of the greatness of God, we just need to look at nature which speaks of His magnificent work, not only is it beautiful but is also planned out in seasons and times (Genesis 8:22). The consistency of these seasons declares the master planner behind creation, Job invites us to learn from creation the greatness and workings of our God (Job 12:7-10). I now reach the conclusion that our disposition to praise and thankfulness has everything to do with our appreciation of who our God is.  The more we know Him, His works, His promises, believe and walk in them, the more our hearts will continually well up in thankfulness and praise, worshipping Him for who He is.

Thoughts:

How thankful are you?

What is the basis of your thankfulness?

How do you express your thankfulness?

What is interfering with your thanksgiving?