I remember saying grace quickly during my elementary school days so that no one in the cafeteria would notice because it seemed no one else I knew gave thanks before eating. Now, it’s just normal to bow my head for someone in the family to say grace when we are eating a meal in public or at home.
I also remember a day when one of my son’s friends joined us for dinner. Before eating, we mentioned to him that we usually give thanks before the meal. He mentioned that he and his family only do it on Thanksgiving. As believers, we should give thanks not only at meals but whenever we can.
One of the characteristics of a believer is the attitude of gratitude to God our Father. Jesus is our role model for that. He gave thanks before feeding the 5000, He gave thanks before Lazarus came back to life. He even gave thanks on the night that he was betrayed,
The Bible says that it is God’s will for us to be thankful in all circumstances, not just the good ones. Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him but He was able to give thanks for the meal He was sharing with the apostles. It can be difficult to be thankful when the circumstances are bad but that is when we are focusing on the bad. We need to focus on the good when things around us are bad. Sometimes the good is only that God is with us to cry to.
When it is difficult to be thankful, we can have the Holy Spirit to help us. We are given a choice to be thankful or not, and sometimes we need to be reminded of that choice. We need to remember all the blessings that God has given us and the promises He will fulfill. Those should help us give thanks in the moment.
Some people have a gratitude journal or a box of memorabilia to help them remember to be thankful. I like to look at pictures of family, friends, and events. What do you do to help when you are not feeling grateful?
Prayer
Almighty God in heaven,
Thank you for being good to me. I don’t deserve your many blessings. Help me to be worthy of being called Your child and have a grateful attitude. May my words and actions please You and give You glory.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
Verses
Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do or say, do in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God through Him.
Romans 7:25 Thanks to God through Jesus our Lord!
Matthew 14:19 Jesus gave thanks and broke the loaves
John 11:41 Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you…”
1 Corinthians 11:23-24 On the night He was betrayed, Jesus took bread and gave thanks to God for it
1 Thessalonians 5:18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Jesus
Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and thankful heart.
Ephesians 5:20 Give thanks for everything to God in the name of Jesus
Song
“Thank You” by The Katinas is just one song out of many that is about thanking God. The runner up was by Don Moen. He wrote at least two songs about giving thanks. One has the same title as this post, but it was too short and so repeated the verses and chorus many times.
Call To Action
If you have already prayed, read the verses, and listened to the suggested song, then make a list of all the things you are thankful for and do it for just 3 minutes. Let us know how many you got. I wrote down 23 one-word things, most of them were general like ‘family’ but others were specific like ‘Bible’.