Gospel Thanksgiving

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -1 Thessalonians 5:16‭-‬18 ESV

John Yun

It is one thing to feel gratitude, it is another to give thanks. One is a feeling. The other is an action. We may have trouble conjuring a feeling. But we can pursue the act of giving thanks. How often is our gratitude directed towards God? How do we give thanks to God?

Pray. Do not confuse it with mediation. Prayer is a conversation. We are not to simply consider what we should be thankful for. We should talk to God about what God has given to us.

How much of our prayer life is asking for things? Do we acknowledge what God has done for us? Do we meet God with a humble heart before it's savior? If our prayer life is only about asking God to give us this, to help us out of this situation, to get us... then something's missing.

We should thank God unceasingly. For every good thing God brings into our lives. If we counted all the things God brings, then we would be praying endlessly. This doesn't mean we have our heads bowed and eyes closed all day. But it is a conscious turning towards God. A God-consciousness. Knowing that God is always present and always involved in our lives.

Why is it so difficult to feel grateful? Children are taught to say thank you, even if they don't feel it. It is the polite thing to do. So it is with the children of God. We don't feel gratitude towards God. This is often a symptom of pride. We don't want to acknowledge that God deserves credit. A proud person feels they deserve a good life. It is a sense of entitlement. The key to deep gratitude is humility. "Every good and perfect gift comes from above..." Every good thing that comes is grace from God. It isn't something we can produce ourselves.

When a child receives a gift for their birthday or Christmas, they jump up and down in joy. They did not and could not have earned that gift. They receive with unbridled joy.

Another reason that we are ungrateful is because we are forgetful and blind. We forget what God has done as soon as he's answered our prayers. We only ask and ask and ask without reflecting on how God has answered our prayers. We don't see how God has been at work...

Finally, the last barrier to thankfulness is anxiety and idolatry. An anxious heart is rooted in feeling that God either doesn't care or will not provide. An idolatrous heart is searching for anything and everything to satisfy except God. Instead of keeping God front and center, we seek satisfaction in other things. We don't think God can or will satisfy.

How do we give thanks when we have all these things going wrong in our lives? Family troubles, relationship problems, trials, struggles at work, health issues... We can always give thanks in Christ. We have a Savior who suffered and knows our troubles intimately.