At Thanksgiving we give thanks—that’s a given. We all know what we are thankful for. However, who are we thankful to? After all, thankfulness doesn’t mean anything unless it’s geared toward the One from whom all blessings flow. He is the Giver of all good things! Hence, Thanks-giving!
We are to “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise” (Ps. 100:4). And whatever we do, whether in word or deed, we are to do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Col. 3:17). Being thankful is God’s will for our lives (1 Thess. 5:18). So with that in mind, here are seven things we can be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
7 THINGS WE CAN THANK GOD FOR THIS THANKSGIVING
1. Perspective.
We can be thankful for the ability God offers to see things from His vantage point. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Is. 55:8-9).
2. Provision.
God provides for us in so many ways. We can be thankful for Jehovah Jireh (Gen. 22:13). He has provided more than we realize and way more than we deserve.
3. Protection.
None of us could possibly calculate the times that God has protected us from harm. We likely haven’t realized it when He has. Therefore, we can be thankful for a God who knows the way and watches our every step as He walks alongside us, guards us from behind, and goes before us (Ps. 121:5-8).
4. Presence.
The Lord has made known to us the path of life. He fills us with joy in His presence and eternal pleasures at His right hand (Ps. 16:11). For that we can be thankful.
5. Power.
We can be thankful that Jesus has won the victory over life and death. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4)!
6. Purpose.
Life is meaningless without the purpose God gives. Therefore, we can be thankful that “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him” (Eccles. 3:11-14).
7. Peace.
We can be thankful for the peace that transcends understanding (Phil. 4:6-7). It comes from knowing God and trusting that He has it all figured out. There is so much anxiety and confusion in the world. Therefore, it helps knowing He’s in control. He knows the beginning from the end. And, it’s a happy ending!
This Thanksgiving, consider challenging yourself to make a daily Thankful List of five things that bring you joy and meaning. Don’t wait until the end of your day. Rather, begin your day with an attitude of thanksgiving, anticipating God to show up in personal ways. No doubt it will lift your spirits, encourage your heart, and give you a meaningful and hopeful focus throughout your day. Take it a step further by making your Thankful List public to a few friends or on social media. Then as you enter into each day, with thanksgiving in your heart, anticipate His perspective, provision, protection, presence, power, purpose, and peace.
PRAYER
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Ps. 103:1-5).
