A Joyous Offering Of Thanks

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)

A thankful heart, I believe, is a heart that knows the God of all grace and desires to know Him even more. A thankful heart understands the importance of offering thanks to Him in every circumstance. Years ago, I started incorporating thankfulness into my prayer time. As this became a habit, I’ve come to realise that thankfulness automatically flows as I pray. We can have an attitude of thankfulness not only for God’s present blessings, but also for His future provision because we know that He is faithful. Today, we will use verses of Scripture from the Psalms to express our thankfulness to God.

Psalm 9:1 (NIV)

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

This Psalm is written by David, who expresses his thanks and praise to God with his whole heart. He thanks God for the wonderful ways in which He has rescued him from his enemies. This compels him to tell others of God’s wonderful deeds.

When we give thanks to God, it ought to be done with our hearts fully engaged, and not just lip service. It should give us the impetus to declare the good things he has done in our lives. When we do this, we will encourage others to trust God to perform His wonderful deeds in their lives as well.

 Psalm 69:30 (NIV)

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

In this psalm, the psalmist prays for deliverance. Toward the end of the psalm, his thanksgiving to God becomes an expression of glorifying and magnifying Him in song.

Proclaim & Pray: Lord, I sing praises to Your name. I give thanks to You with all my heart for the wonderful things (you can name them) You have done in my life. I glorify and magnify You with my thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Psalm 107:21-22 (NIV)

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them sacrifice thank-offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.

This psalmist instructs the people of Israel to thank God for His kindness when he forgave them and for His unfailing love when He delivered them from captivity. They are to express their thankfulness by telling others of the wonderful things He has done for them. Their thanksgiving ought to be a joyous, sacrificial offering to God.

Proclaim & Pray: I thank You, Lord, for Your unfailing love and for the wonderful things You have done in my life (you can name them). I offer my thanksgiving to You as a sweet-smelling sacrifice and joyfully sing of the wonderful deeds You have done in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it. A.W. Tozer