To Give Thanks...

I recently read one of my younger cousin’s high school English papers. The paper was about him helping people out. I had to smile when I read the part where he wrote, “It is important to me when people say thank you.” I thought it was so cute that he would write that. Being fourteen, you wouldn’t really think that he would care that much about things like that…but he does.

It wasn’t until a few days later that the revelation came to me about how much God loves to hear us say thank you to him. I was reading the Psalms when I noticed how much it says to “Give thanks unto God.” “Amen”, I have said again and again when someone says this. But am I really thanking God at all times?

Psalm 69:30
I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 95:2
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

There are SO many Psalms and other books of the bible that declare that we should thank God.

God is good and his love endures forever. He is full or mercy and love.

How many times do people pray for something and then when it comes to pass they are happy, but do they thank God? We should rejoice always and again rejoice…according to the apostle Paul’s words. “Rejoice Always” means to rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances.

I was thinking about how many Lepers Jesus healed and how many of them actually returned to say thank you to him….how sad? Jesus cured them from an “incurable” disease. Imagine that!? It’s true!

I was thinking about how rude it really is when people don’t thank you or get back to you about something that you have asked them or whatever…and yes, maybe they forget (we all do), but there are some things that you cannot forget. The Lepers could not have forgotten about what Jesus did for them.

I was even thinking about how people pray for protection from something….or traveling mercies…but when they get where they are going or make it through something really tough or trying…do they stop and say “thank you, Lord?”

There are never enough hours in the day for how much we should be thanking God. I am certain that there are more circumstances than we know of, where God protects us, blesses us, encourages us, strengthens us and uses us. Be grateful today...his hand is upon your life in miraculous ways. Be encouraged!

Praise God!