Towards the end of November we celebrate Thanksgiving. To many this wonderful day dedicated to thankfulness means turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie and generous portions of them all! Add to that family time, game time, fun time and maybe even nap time and you have a perfect day.

Can we pause a moment and consider the act of Thanksgiving? Do you realize how potent, prominent and even prophetic thankfulness can be? The Bible is filled with instructions to be thankful. We will look a few verses and explore the true nature and meaning of thanksgiving. Let’s look at the obvious first:

Common Courtesy

Giving thanks to many is a simple act of common courtesy. A heartfelt “thank you” is an acknowledgement of what you have received. Someone blessed you in some way and you want to acknowledge the blessing. This speaks of good manners and we should never be bashful to be thankful. Appreciate life and those around you who make it a better place and experience for you.

 

Positive Mindset

We live in world that feeds off the negative. Gossip is attracted to it and the news media covers it. Negativity is anchored in the brokenness of life. Thanksgiving is a marvelous alternative. It focuses on the positive. In order to give thanks you first have to find appreciation; something worth being thankful for. This is easy when you are on top of the world, but becomes increasingly challenging when you are suffering in some difficult circumstance.  Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Thanksgiving celebrates the silver lining along with the precious, life-giving moisture in that cloud. It even celebrates the fact that not all days are gloomy and that the sun will shine again. Thanksgiving turns the morbid heart towards the light. It points to the positive and focuses on potential and possibility instead of the inevitability of gloomy seasons.  This is where thanksgiving pulls you from the realm of the natural into the much greater and more powerful realm of the Spirit. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we read: “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Regardless of your circumstance, good or bad, give thanks. Thank God this verse does not say: “For everything give thanks.” But rather “in everything give thanks.” Do not isolate the bad while ignoring the good in life. Instead walk in the will of God by finding things to be thankful for everyday. The old song says: “Count your blessing one by one. . .”

 

The Core of our Worship

Thanksgiving is at the core of our worship. We read in Ps 50:14, “Offer unto God thanksgiving”. The Hebrew word for thanksgiving here is “todah” and it means “the extension of the hand, avowal or adoration, confession, and sacrifice of praise.” Thanksgiving is one of the reasons we lift our hands to the Lord in worship. It speaks of the act of giving thanks to God.

 

Gateway to the Presence of God

The Bible declares: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto Him and bless His name” (Psalm 100:4). Did you know that thanksgiving and praise is the gateway into the presence of God. A thankful heart gains access to the throne room of God. Too many times we only come to God with a grocery list of needs, desires and wants; as if God is some store clerk tasked to fill our shopping bags with goodies. Through thankfulness and praise you can enter in and enjoy God’s presence. The Hebrew word for thankful here is “yadah” and means “to revere and worship with extended hands.” Make no mistake, we are to present to God our requests, but thanksgiving offers you a cool alternative way of asking. Phil 4:6  “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

 

Prophetic Thanks

Thanksgiving also has a prophetic element. Did you know that you can give thanks for what the Lord is about to do in your life? Many people think that thanksgiving always looks back and is a response to what someone already did for you. They fail to realize that when it comes to God, He has a proven track-record. His reputation is intact. What He did before, He’ll do again. “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.”

As long as our lives are governed by the word of God and we walk in obedience, humbleness and faith we can expect the wondrous blessings of the Lord to rain onto our lives. David said: “Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Psalm 136 is a celebration of the mercy and loving kindness of God. “O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good; for His mercy endures for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods; for His mercy endures for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords; for His mercy endures forever.” I encourage you to read this tremendous Psalm today.

According to Psalm 105:1 we are to “give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people.” What the Lord has done for you He wants to do for others. He saved you, He is ready to save them too!

Go ahead, thank His for the many great things He is about to do. Call the things that are not as if they are. I think it a tremendous privilege to be able to thank the Lord for what He is about to do.  

In closing I want to remind you that thanksgiving will build and stir your faith. Every time you find something to thank God for in your life, you’ll realize that He is so much more and better to you than words can ever describe. He placed eternity in your heart, His Spirit in your soul. His forgiveness over your past, His protection on you today and His promise on your tomorrow. Hell is behind you and Heaven is before you. Our God is indeed an awesome God!