A Grateful Heart

Thanks thanks I give you thanks for all you’ve done
I am so blessed my soul is at rest
Oh Lord I give you thanks

That is the lyrics of a very popular song sung by people whose hearts are filled with gratitude to the Lord. How often do we pause for a moment just to find something to be grateful for? We go throughout the day, with our regular routine but never stop to say “Thank You, Lord!” I recently saw a social media post asking, “What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?” Think about that for a moment. We often go to God with requests, pleas, and burdens, but do we find time to be grateful for everything He has already done for our lives? Do we only use God for when we need Him and neglect to be grateful the other times?

The Psalmist David said it best…

“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Psalm 34:1 KJV

Even through the good and bad days, ups and downs, joyful and sad times, mountains and valleys, David chose to find something to be grateful for. Every moment of the day, his heart would be filled with gratitude. Will life always go the way we planned? Of course not. Yet, the blessings of the Lord never cease. Instead of focusing on what isn’t, we should thank the Lord for who He IS. We may not have sufficient money, but HE IS Jehovah Jireh [provider]. We may be ailing, but HE IS Jehovah Rapha [healer]. We may be going through a court battle, but HE IS Jehovah Nissi [victory].

We should take on David’s attitude and adopt it as a lifestyle. Let’s turn our complaining to praise. Our trials and troubles are never an excuse not to be grateful. We still have life. We are still breathing. That is more than enough to be grateful for. As we go through our Thanksgiving Festivities, I challenge all of us to spend the next few weeks reflecting on our blessings. Even beyond that, I challenge us to make Thanksgiving a lifestyle. We are a blessed people, whether we think so or not. It could be worse. There is always something to be thankful for. The mere fact that you can read this blog post is a blessing. Give thanks with a grateful heart always!