Thanks.
It’s a simple word and one we hear all the time, especially during this month. Anyone can say it; it’s not reserved for the healthy, strong, or rich among us. In fact, it makes no difference how rich or poor, young or old, healthy or sick you are…you can use this word and it will transform your outlook.
As believers, our thanksgiving is directed toward God. Sometimes it’s directed towards other people or events as well, but always, always we recognize that God is the one orchestrating all the events and situations.
Here’s how this simple word can radically transform your heart today:
Give thanks for things you have, and don’t want.
Remember that everything we have comes from God, the giver. To use Scriptural language, recognize that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1).
Give thanks for things you want, and don’t have.1
We have this assurance from Psalm 84:11-12: “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly,” so we can imply that if we don’t have something we want, then it is not for our good. No wonder the Psalmist goes on in the next verse to say “O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” You will always have a nagging feeling that God is withholding something good from you unless you trust his heart of love for you. That’s why the person is blessed who trusts God implicitly (wholeheartedly; without reservation or skepticism).
It is normal to give thanks for good things like unexpected presents and acts of kindness, but it’s unnatural to give thanks for the things listed above—things you have, but don’t want and things you want, but don’t have. That makes this type of thanksgiving 100% impossible unless you have the Spirit’s enabling. But isn’t this what our Father calls us to do? Things that are utterly impossible without him? Things that don’t make sense unless you’re looking at life through eyes of faith—eyes that have been turned from darkness to light solely by the work of Christ and the power of the Spirit? (2 Corinthians 4)
“Isn’t this what our Father calls us to do?
Things that are utterly impossible without him?“
Here are 4 habits to help your heart give thanks (even when you don’t want to)
Fill your mind with God’s Word.
One way I love to do this is by reading and/or listening to the Psalms. “I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being” (Psalm 146:2).
Remind your heart of God’s character.
I don’t know about you, but I constantly have nagging lies about God in the back of my mind. Lies that he isn’t really that good and he doesn’t actually love me. I have to remind my heart of God’s true character by not only reminding my heart that God is loving but genuinely believing it. This has recently become one of my favorite verses: We have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us (1 John 4:16).
Give thanks out loud.
This week, one of my mornings was full of several unexpected tasks that threw a big wrench into my plans, and I became the world’s champion complainer by 11 AM. I made myself start giving thanks to God out loud while I was all alone in my van, and God changed my heart. The good thing about giving thanks out loud is that you get to not just think it, but hear yourself say it. That’s two for the price of one. And you know you can’t pass up a good deal like that.
Listen to and sing praises to God.
My heart often needs extra help to praise the Lord. I often find this by not only listening to music that praises God but making myself sing along. One of my current favorites is Psalm 150 (in fact, I’m listening to it right now as I type). What better way to encourage your heart to praise your Maker than by using the breath in your lungs and the strength of your vocal cords to do so?
Fellow believers, may we showcase the powerful work of the Spirit in our lives by the way we “give thanks in all circumstances (not just the ones that appear good in the world’s eyes), for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
1 These words are inspired by Elizabeth Elliot in her book, Suffering is Never for Nothing, where she describes suffering as something we want, but don’t have or something we have, but don’t want. I shared more about this book here (#2 on the list).