Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

“Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I will thank Him.”

Psalm 28:6-7

“Thanks.” It’s a word we all probably say daily. Whether a favor is done, a compliment is offered, or a gift is given, we almost always respond with this reaction of gratitude. But do we truly think about what we are saying? Do we say “thank you” because good manners require it, or because we are truly demonstrating a heart of thanksgiving? Even our prayers can become routine and thoughtless; we thank God for His blessings because it is expected. Giving thanks can become nothing more than the “good manners” of prayer. It can be so easy to cycle through a “God, thank you for _______” list, instead of actively and intentionally praising Him for the work He has done in our lives.

Our world is filled with ungratefulness. Our eyes are so often blind to the blessings that surround us yet sensitive to the difficulties which hurt us. Yet our greatest source of thanksgiving should be the truth that our God is alive and He is good. We should be thankful that God is who He is, not just thankful that He has given us good gifts. Even if our lives seem momentarily void of blessings, even if each day seems to bring us further away from peace and joy, His character never changes. 1 Chronicles 29:12-13 says, “Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.” King David said these words, and in Psalm 100:3-5, he writes, “Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.” David doesn’t just thank God because of the blessings He has given. He thanks Him because He is an amazing God.

As Christians, we are called to have a perpetually thankful heart—not just on Thanksgiving, not just when our lives are comfortable, not just when the blessings outweigh the pain. Paul writes, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Always…without ceasing…in everything…Paul doesn’t leave any room for excuses. But he wasn’t speaking hypocritically. He devoted his life to God’s will. Acts 16:23-25 tells us what happened to Paul and Silas after they were captured in Philippi: “When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” For me, this is one of the most convicting accounts in the Bible. Sometimes the struggles and annoyances of daily life draw complaints from my mouth before I even stop to think. Paul and Silas faced a harder trial than I will likely ever experience—yet they still chose to praise the God who possessed power over their situation.

Each of us have had vastly different lives. But we all have a history. We can all look back on our lives and marvel at the hand of God which has brought us through it all. And it is this hindsight which strengthens us to trust God with the present and offer to Him a heart of thanksgiving. Maybe you didn’t get that job you applied for, but later realized that God had something so much better in mind. Maybe you didn’t understand when sickness and pain seemed to tear your life apart, but later saw how God remained faithful even in your suffering. Maybe you have been hurt by shattered relationships with family and friends, but you have seen God mend what was broken beyond repair. I don’t know every detail of your life. But I do know that the Lord has never failed you. If your Father has never let you fall before, why should He start now?

That is why believers can remain thankful in the good times and the bad. Our hearts should be always filled with gratitude for His faithfulness in our past. We can trust and praise Him in the present because we have first-hand evidence of the greatness of His goodness. As David says in 1 Chronicles 21:13, “‘I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.’” So this Thanksgiving, don’t just go through the motions of gratitude. Take time to remember what God has done in your life—to Him be the glory, great things He hath done.

My heart is filled with thankfulness

To Him who walks beside;

Who floods my weaknesses with strength

And causes fears to fly;

Whose ev’ry promise is enough

For ev’ry step I take,

Sustaining me with arms of love

And crowning me with grace.

– Keith Getty and Stuart Townend