Category: Thankfulness Is…

Isaiah 51:3-4 (NLT)

“The Lord will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air. ‘Listen to me, my people. Hear me, Israel, for my law will be proclaimed, and my justice will become a light to the nations.'”

Today we have words from the prophet Isaiah, describing a day when God will bring restoration to Israel. The state of affairs is bleak: a dry, barren wilderness. This imagery is often used in the Bible before God brings victory or gives a spiritual mission. Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, and Jesus all had desert experiences before entering into a new mission. Jesus prayed with blood dripping as sweat just before his arrest and the greatest spiritual victory of all time.

Isaiah tells of a time when Eden will return. God’s original plan for humanity will get a second chance. We will dwell in God’s garden once again. God’s justice will reign and songs of thanksgiving will fill the air. This vivid imagery is a description of our true home. We will be invited back to live in God’s garden.

There are some comforts that remind us of home: the smell of pie, a hug from a loved one, the feeling of belonging and safety. Songs of thanksgiving permeate the air in God’s home. As followers of Jesus, we are citizens of Heaven. We belong in a place where worship music is uplifting us constantly. And we don’t have to wait — we can bring the sounds of Heaven into our homes even now by playing worship music on our phones, televisions, and speakers. We can hum our own tunes of thanksgiving. May you be filled with the songs of home today.

Daniel 6:10-11 (NLT)

“But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help.”

Daniel was living in a hostile land, where the king signed a law forbidding prayer to any god except the king. Kingship and god-like status went together in ancient cultures. Here in Babylon, Daniel is a young Jewish man who is devoted to God and refuses to stop praying even when it becomes illegal to do so.

Notice that Daniel has a very predictable daily routine. He prays three times a day — in the same place, at the same time. The description of the start of his prayer is “giving thanks to his God.” By the time the authorities arrive, he’s continued on into asking for God’s help.

Prayer isn’t always easy, and you may have trouble knowing where to start. Giving thanks is a way to start the conversation, which will help you move forward into deeper places with God in prayer. Take a moment right now to say, “God, I want to give you thanks for…” Don’t worry about having the perfect thing to be thankful for. Don’t even say the things you “should” say. You might not be thankful for all the socially “right” things, but there is something that is meaningful to you in this day. Start there and just let the prayer journey of thanksgiving take you into new places.

Romans 1:20-22 (NLT)

“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.”

As long as the world has been the world, we’ve all had an opportunity to see and know God. When we sit by the ocean, see a beautiful sunset, or walk quietly in the woods, we experience the presence of God whether we know him or not. If we look for answers, God will give them to us. Those who do not seek God have no excuse — we all have the same opportunity to know him.

Some know God but even still refuse to worship him or give him thanks. When we fall into the trap of taking God for granted, we begin to slowly slip away from the truth. We make up foolish ideas about God that have nothing to do with him. Certainly this ignorant thinking is prevalent in our world.

The natural reaction to the experience of God’s character is thankfulness. When we express this, we stay connected to the truth of who he is. Without thankfulness, we become bitter, resentful, impatient, and discontent. All of these states of mind create distortions that in the end rob us from knowing the real God. What distortions might you have when you think about God that could be healed through a practice of gratitude?