Our Hearts are Full of Thanksgiving
“Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, and the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth, the heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land.” (Psalm 95:1-5 (NKJV)).
It is hard to believe that the hot days of summer are behind us, and we are now settling into the cool, crisp days of autumn. With the change in ambient temperature and weather, comes a change in our collective attitudes and dispositions. The autumn and winter holidays bring a time of reflection and contemplation. I know things are not always perfect and most of us have overcome hurdles and trying times in this age of COVID. Perhaps this year, you have lost a loved one, a job, or a particular dream did not come into fruition, and you are tempted to withhold thankfulness to God. When you are disappointed, continue to give God thanks, even when circumstances are grim and unsettling. I sometimes think about Job whom the Bible tells us lost practically everything he had. Yet, despite walking through the lowest of times, Job said to the Lord, “You have given and taken away, but blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21b). You see, Job recognized that despite his circumstances, God is worthy to be praised for His name is above all names on the earth.
If you are feeling low, try uttering, “Thank you God. Thank you Lord that though others perished, I’m still here in the land of the living. Thank you that I have breath in my lungs and my mind is able to focus on you.” You do not have to utter these words, but find your own words of thankfulness! You see dear friend, when we exhibit a disposition of thankfulness before the Lord, our problems begin to look small as God is magnified. Yes, admittedly, it is hard sometimes to be thankful in a world full of dire headlines and bad news. But here is an affirmation that the Psalmist knew would fill our hearts with thankfulness at the might of our God. Know this always, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy and with my song I praise him” (Psalm 28:7).
