With Thanksgiving around the corner, thoughts of thankfulness, family, and food are at the front of our minds. A child is thankful for the dollar the tooth fairy left under their pillow. A young mother is thankful for a good night’s rest while caring for an 11-month-old child. A college graduate is thankful for their first job. A cancer patient is thankful to be in remission. A couple is glad that even after a difficult first Bible study, their friend continued to learn the truth and was baptized. Philippians 4:6 says to not be anxious about anything, “but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
In life, we will go through ups and downs. Do we view our glass as half full or half empty? We should always stop and thank God for all he has given us, which could include our families, neighbors, our jobs, materialistic goods, health, etc.,.
I read about a gentleman who went to the doctor due to breathing difficulties, but later found out he had lung cancer. His instinct was to cry out that he never thanked God for a single breath he had taken up to this point. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.
As Christians, we should be thankful for everything God has done for us – thankful for Jesus who came to earth and gave his life so we may have salvation, thankful for the Holy Spirit who guided the apostles to write the New Testament so that the gospel would be available to all humanity. James 1:17 says that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights.”
I would like to share what I pray when unexpected moments cross my path. For example, a car swerved into my lane, but I was able to move at the last second to avoid the collision. Another example is when my grandson gave me his first kiss on the cheek. That prayer is always, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. In Jesus’s name, Amen.”
We will never fathom all God does for us in a day so let’s take the time each day to thank him. Can I get an Amen?!