Thanksgiving (Pssst, it’s more than giving thanks)
In our ladies Bible study, we are studying the word thanksgiving in honor of, you guessed it, Thanksgiving which is just around the corner! The flurry of preparations and anticipation of sharing food and fellowship with those we like (and don’t like) can obscure the whole reason for the celebration.
Which is why I hope this blog post of what I’ve learned about thanksgiving gives you worthy thoughts to ponder and even more reason to give thanks unto the Lord for He is good!
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
We asked everyone to say what thanksgiving meant to them. For me it means contentment, peace and joy because I am looking at what God is doing instead of man. It gives me a better perspective and spirit of praise. It is hard to be grumpy and ungrateful when thanksgiving is filling the room!
What does it meant to you?
“Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.”
As we perused verse after verse I kept noticing that praise and thanksgiving goes hand in hand. Praise leads to thanksgiving and thanksgiving fills a heart with praise!
Have you ever felt so full of thanks you just wanted to make a joyful noise? Join the thankful choir. 😉
“Come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand…”
Someone brought up how they felt thankful for certain things even in the middle of great personal loss and it made me realize that thanksgiving is one of the rare emotions that can be experienced amid sorrow and joy. It can also often show up post sorrow and hardship and valley experiences.
Have you ever felt the comfort of thankfulness about something God showed you from a time of mourning or even when in the middle of the pain? I have, and I cherish those thankful moments more than any other.
“Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”
And lastly I learned that thanksgiving has to be mixed with prayer and supplication because those things remind me of what He’s done which creates trust in what He will do.
Have you ever been in thankful awe for all God has done after taking a prayer filled walk down memory lane of His wonderful works? I can’t help but be hopeful for the future when I remember God’s powerful past providence!
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Let’s be inspired to practice maintaining a mindset of thanksgiving because God is more than deserving of our thankfulness and a little thanksgiving never hurt anyone, thankfully. 😉
Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving time!
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