Living Thankful

I have had several conversations the past few weeks about being thankful. It’s that time of year, but Scripture teaches that thanksgiving is not just for one day of the year or even for the month of November. Scripture teaches that we should be living thankful all day, every day.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Colossians 4:2

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.

And be thankful.

Colossians 3:15

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding in thanksgiving.

Colossians 2:6-7

Living thankful is a command, but it is also the right “put on” response as we “put off” certain sins or guard against sin. Someone texted me recently asking what to “put on” in place of their critical spirit. There is more to the answer, but a large portion of the answer is living thankful. It is difficult to be critical if you are thanking God for what is good in your circumstance or about another person.

Likewise, one of the guards against an anxious heart is rejoicing and living thankful.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-8

Most of the time when I am angry, it is because I am being inconvenienced or not getting what I want. Living thankful confronts my anger because I recognize the blessings and mercies that God bestows new each day. As I look at a chart of the Ten Commandments, living thankful would help us guard against breaking each of them.

But living thankful isn’t just a command or a way to guard against sin. It is above all a joyful response to who God is and what God has done.

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

Psalm 7:17

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;

my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalm 28:7

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 9:1

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 107:1

Paul teaches us that not honoring God and a lack of thankfulness was the beginning of a spiral into futile thinking, pursuing sin, and approving sin.

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Romans 1:21

The Psalms in particular are full of thanksgiving to God. Psalm 107 focuses on God’s steadfast love and goodness, two “God is…” truths. After the opening verse above, the psalmist then recounts four illustrations from Israel’s troubled history that were occasions for God’s goodness and steadfast love to be displayed (vs 4-32). Israel’s troubles were varied: “Some were homeless and hungry, lost in the wilderness of life (107:4–5). Some were oppressed and depressed because of their rebellion (107:10–12). Some were sick to the point of death because of their rebellion (107:17–18). Some were at their wits’ end, overwhelmed by the storms of life (107:23–27). Trouble comes in a variety of shapes and sizes.”[1]

We too experience trouble in a variety of shapes and sizes, but as with Israel, these are opportunities to look for how God’s goodness, love and other attributes are displayed. Then, just as the psalmist called the Israelites to respond in thanksgiving, we can respond in thanksgiving to the God who lovingly cares for us.

I encourage you to read the entire psalm and look for the different “God is…” and “God does…” truths, but for now, let’s jump to the last verse.

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

Psalm 107:43

We are wise to live thankful. We are wise to consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

Living thankful doesn’t happen overnight. It takes practice. It requires being purposeful. It begins with expressing one thanksgiving at a time. It focuses on specific things to be thankful for (i.e., not just food but tacos or peppermint hot chocolate) as well as broader things like family. It encompasses temporal things like our homes or relationships, but it also includes being thankful for who God is and the spiritual blessings that are ours in Jesus. What are you thankful for?

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 107:1

Reflection

1. Are you thankful in troubles as well as in the good times? How do your troubles tempt you to ingratitude? What does your ingratitude convey about who you functionally believe God is? For example, when your health fails or you lose a job, are you tempted to believe that God is not good?

2. Living thankful helps guard us against sin. What sin are you struggling with? What can you be thankful for that will help you guard against that particular sin?

3. To begin living thankful, start with three things a day: a “God is…” truth, a spiritual blessing, and a “God does…” truth relating to your everyday life. It’s good to write them down. You can see your list grow. Keep your list or journal out where you will see it every day as a reminder to live thankful. Share what you are thankful for each day with someone else. If you have children, talk with them each day about something they are thankful for. I am still growing in living thankful, but after writing down one thousand things I was thankful for two different times over the course of a couple years, living thankful is becoming more natural. It started with one thanksgiving at a time.

[1] Mark D. Futato, “The Book of Psalms,” in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 7: The Book of Psalms, The Book of Proverbs (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009), 343.