Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. One of the reasons for this is because it reminds me to be thankful, and giving thanks makes me realize how very blessed I am. Giving thanks can also open our eyes to what God might be doing in our lives, even in the middle of difficult times.
A few weeks ago, a verse at the end of Psalms 50 hit me like a brick. Psalm 50 is about God the Judge coming, but he comes not to condemn us but rather to seek out and uncover what is in our hearts. God had provided a way for the people in the Old Testament to approach him without fear by the means of offering a sacrifice. But God repeatedly told the people that sacrifices were not a way to bribe God; what he was after was their hearts. So in Psalms 50, God says “I don’t need the bulls you sacrifice. What I want instead is your true thanks to God. Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory” (Ps. 50:13, 15). And the last verse is what hit me:
“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me and prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”
In other words, being thankful opens the way for us to see what God is doing in our lives, and maybe especially when we can’t see that he is doing anything, when times are difficult. Ann Voskamp, in her book One Thousand Gifts, notes how Jesus would always give a prayer of thanks before he performed a miracle. He gave thanks before feeding the 5,000, and before he raised Lazarus from the dead, he prayed, “Father I thank you that you heard me.” Voskamp says, “Thanksgiving always precedes the miracle.” Giving thanks prepares the way for God to show us his salvation.
THE BLESSINGS OF THANKSGIVING
Getting into the habit of being thankful opens the door for so many blessings in our lives. Here are a few:
Giving thanks makes me realize how blessed I really am. When I stop and thank God for certain things in my life, I begin to think of so many other things I take for granted for which I am truly blessed. Giving thanks sort of “primes the pump” for more thanksgiving. And giving thanks primes the pump for joy and contentment. It’s not that joy makes us thankful, but rather thankfulness is what makes us joyful.
Giving thanks makes me realize how important people are to me. Invariably when I start giving thanks, I start realizing that it is the people in my life for which I am most thankful. Giving thanks “slows me down” to realize people are the most important, and I want to enjoy them and enjoy life together with them.
Giving thanks makes me less grasping and more open to God’s future. I realize that everything I have, even my very breath, is a gift from God and he has always been faithful to me. He will not abandon me; he will take care of the people I love; he will even take me home to live with him forever. His Son Jesus, who always gave thanks, guaranteed that.
Giving thanks can even actually change my circumstances. Giving thanks changes my attitude, and a different attitude can actually change my circumstances into something different and better. Thanksgiving opens the door to let the Lord into my circumstances, and my cold, grasping hands loosen to be open to what he will give.
We see a beautiful example of this in that letter that Paul wrote from a prison cell in Rome to the church at Philippi. You would think that Paul, being in prison, would be depressed and bitter. But all he can write in his letter to the Philippians is “Rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord always.” Paul’s attitude of thanksgiving made him realize that his prison sentence could actually be used by God for something better. He writes, “My being in prison has actually turned out to advance the Gospel. As a result, the whole imperial guard of Caesar has now heard about Jesus, and the brothers and sisters in Rome are now encouraged to talk about Jesus more boldly” (Phil. 1:12-14).
The Christians in Philippi to whom Paul was writing were also undergoing suffering. Paul wants them, and us, to know that even in difficult times, the Lord is near, and thanksgiving can open our eyes to see the salvation of our God. He writes in closing his letter:
“The Lord is near. So don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, and with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which really is beyond our understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6,7).