Giving thanks is something we are commanded to do in Scripture quite often, yet it seems to be something we forget to do the most. Giving thanks is almost reserved for the fourth Thursday of the month, but even then is often glanced over as individuals and families browse sale ads in planning Black Friday shopping strategies. Let's do a tally on how many times a form of "thank" is used in the Bible:
Thank: 26
Thanks: 71
Thanked: 3
Thanking: 1
Thankful: 3
Thankfulness: 1
Thanksgiving: 27
Thanksgivings: 2
Thankworthy: 1
Wow, giving thanks seems very important to God! Amongst all the tallies, "thanks" is used the most in the Bible, which is in the present tense, meaning we ought to always be doing this.
But the verse that really stands out to me is Romans 1:21 "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." From what I can see, a lack of not 1) glorifying God, and 2) being thankful was a leading cause of all the sins mentioned in that first book in Romans. Verse 21 comes right out and says their foolish hearts were darkened: not giving thanks is foolish.
Let's think about what happens when we focus on the things we don't have. We may feel, angry, bitter, jealous of others. We forget all the many blessings we have right in front of us!
I once read a book of an elderly woman who was at the end of her life feeling something was left undone. She committed the end of her life to a prayer quilt, allowing other women to help her if only they would sew each stitch with a prayer of thanksgiving; not a prayer of confession, or prayer of regret. Only prayers of thanks would grant them eligibility to help with the quilt. When the old woman's neighbors committed to her terms to help with the quilt, they suddenly saw things as though looking at them through God's eyes and everything they had taken for granted seemed more precious. I will never forget the impact that had on me when I discovered it to be true. I found when walking, with each step I was taking, I took it with a prayer of thanksgiving just as the ladies did with each stitch they had sewn into the quilt. And you know what? I discovered things I had to be thankful for that I had never thought to thank God for, ever. It was simple things, like the van started or the birds were singing. When I come before the Lord with prayers of thanks, then I will not take any of His blessings for granted. Psalms 100:4-5 "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."
Let us commit to focus on what we have to give thanks for, rather than what we wish we had.
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