Oh Give Thanks to the Lord!
I did a search for the phrase 'give thanks' on Bible Gateway. It gave me 73 results. I particularly like
1 Chronicles 16:34,
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever."
King David was a very thankful servant of God. The Psalms are full of thanksgiving to the Lord. Last year when I studied the Servants of God, I learned a lot about David before he became King. He had a terribly rough time under King Saul and many times David's life was threatened. Yet, David did not fail to give thanks to God.
The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah instructed the people of Israel to give thanks to the Lord.
Isaiah 12:1-2,
You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
2 “Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
Jeremiah 33:10-11
“Thus says the Lord: In this place of
which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast,’ in the cities of
Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or
inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again 11 the
voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom
and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord:
“‘Give thanks to the Lord of hosts,
for the Lord is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever!’
for the Lord is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever!’
For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord.
Daniel gave thanks to the Lord after God revealed to him in a dream the mystery of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
Daniel 2:20-23,
"...To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's matter.”
For me personally, something has changed in me for the better when I began to look at my hardships with thanksgiving in my heart to God. I read it somewhere that 'you will not often find a strong person who has had an easy life.' I am thankful for my scars because they have helped me to become stronger person for them. God has a purpose in all that happens in our lives.
Hebrews 12:10,
For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.
My challenge to you is to offer thanks to God for whatever He has brought you through and for what He is bringing you through now. An attitude of gratitude is life changing as well as an uplifting perspective to all that we go through in life. I invite you to leave a comment about what you are thankful for.
My
disclaimer: I know that every believer's relationship to God is different and
unique. You may not have the same experiences and that is okay. I am sharing
because I want to bring Him the glory for what He is doing in me and impart to
you what I have learned from His word.
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