Christian’s ought to be the most thankful people on the planet due to God’s steadfast love.
As Paul said, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess 5:18). However, I have met a few believers who have difficulty always giving thanks.
Spurgeon put it well, “We are too prone to engrave our trials in marble and write our blessings in the sand.”
Thanksgiving to God is fundamental to a believer’s life for it is the only means of communicating with God which is inclusive of praise, prayer, and proclamation of God’s sacrificial death on the cross.
The Psalms have been a source of inspiration for God’s people throughout the ages. Their timeless truths have provided hope and comfort for both Old and New Testament saints!
Today we will learn six reasons why every Christian can and should give thanks even in trying times.
1. For Simply Who God Is!
Hallelu is like fingers pointing to you because it is in the 2nd person imperative. The second person is, “You” and imperative are a command, “You need to do this!” Saying, “You need to praise!”
Who? The following word, “Ya” which is a shorter word for which is an amazing word. Yahweh. Yahweh means, “I AM” (Ex 3:14).
In the New Testament, Paul says this, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,” (2 Cor 1:3).
Psalm 103:6 has this glorious text where it declares, “The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.” (v. 6). He executes “justice” on behalf of “all who are oppressed.”
We ought to give thanks to God because He is so unlike us. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” (Isa 55:8).
From the Old Testament, God used Moses and made a promise in Exodus 34:6-7 says,
“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
2. For His Inerrant Never-Changing Word.
We as believers ought to give thanks as God’s Word is without error and never changes.
For the Word of God is divine revelation unto man (100% certain & 100% authoritative). Because of the CERTAINTY and AUTHORITY of the Word of God, we can put our full confidence and our faith in what God has to say to us.
God’s Word is certain and whatever it addresses is sufficient and claims for what it is sufficient for.
For what is man’s problem? The inherent problem is sin. The solution to man’s problem? Found in Christ, namely in salvation, what is ahead of eternal damnation.
The Bible is not a manual of rocket science nor how to do gardening. Thank God for his never changing Word that shows how man to be saved and sanctified in Christ alone.
Luther puts it this way, “Let God speak directly to His people through the Scriptures, and let His people respond with grateful songs.”
3. For God has Pardon All of our Sin.
God has granted the forgiveness of sins, not just some of his iniquities! What good would that be when one sin is sufficient to condemn before a holy righteous God? The forgiveness of God covers ALL of our iniquities.
God has freed his people from the power and consequences of their sins by granting his children a full pardon.
“Bless” (barak, Heb.) is used here with the meaning “esteem greatly” It means we show appreciation, gratitude, and respect.
As children of God, we must preach to ourselves every day that we must bless the Lord! Worship ought to be a regular part of life, as Paul puts it in the book of Romans, “Living sacrifice” (Rom 12:1).
Therefore, thanksgiving is not just what we do, it is who we are; the core purpose and reason of our very existence.
4. For God has Given Believers a Church to Belong to.
Scripture says, “Come let us sing for joy to the Lord, let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” (Ps 95:1-2).
Thank God for a family we can belong to through the bride of Christ! I need the church. My friend Dustin Beinge put it this way, “A communal walk with Jesus is better than a personal walk with Jesus. I couldn’t make it without other saints!”
The church is not an assembly of self-sufficient individuals convening to discuss their similar experiences. Instead, it is an organism that grows as each part performs the task allowed to it.
Why belong to a local Church? Because it gives.
- Purpose to live for,
- People to live with,
- Principles to live by,
- Profession to live out,
- Power to live on.
There is no other place on earth where you can find all these benefits in one place.
5. For His Love Endures Forever!
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Psalm 103:8).
As the great old hymn goes, “Great is Thy faithful! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hands have provided. Great is His Faithfulness Lord unto me!” His grace is unmerited and undeserved.
Jonathan Edwards believed that there is no true worship that does not touch the “affections.”
All our emotions, all our life, all the life transformation engages in praising and giving thanks to God. For the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting!
As you walk into the church to recite a hymn! Let the voice of our hearts be overflowing. Scripture commands, “Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.” (Eph 5:19-20).
It is so much more than a command! This is not simply telling a to-do list or not list, like telling a child to finish eating the veggies for it is good for the body. It ought to be a delight of our soul!
As you engage in your daily mundane work, let your soul give thanks to God! As you even take food, the apostle Paul said, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10:31).
The crowning benefit is God’s enduring love to the descendants of the faithful.
6. For His Sovereignty and Excellency
Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” (Heb 13:15).
As Christians, we take an inventory of the excellency of God then naturally thanksgiving is an act of placing ultimate value that engages the inside and outside.
And when we truly worship God considering who He is, we find true eternal satisfaction in Christ. For there is no satisfaction in this world, but we have satisfaction in Christ who is the Bread of Life (John 6:33–40).
No matter how old we become, God can satisfy the needs of our lives and the spiritual desires of our hearts.