Psalm 107:21-22
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
A thankful heart is a humble heart, a heart that acknowledges God is the ‘Giver of every good & perfect gift’ James 1:17. A heart of gratitude fills the house with sweet aroma.
The focus in thanksgiving is on what God does on our behalf. Thanksgiving takes the God-centered perspective in praise and applies it to our individual lives. In doing so, we realize that God, who is at work in the world, is also present in every area of life itself.
Just as with praise, we find it difficult to give thanks. Yet God has given us much to thank him for. With humble gratitude in our hearts, we should remember how Jesus suffered so that we could know God personally. With growing joy, we can sense the Spirit at work in our lives. As we look forward to heaven, we should thank God that we have a reason for living.
We can also thank God for each healthy day we enjoy, for each breath, for each day with family and friends. We can be grateful that God has called us to be his servants. We can thank God for all the material blessings that we enjoy (often without realizing their benefit until we don’t have them). And we can even thank God for our suffering because, as Peter says, “These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine” (1 Pet 1:7).
Thankfulness always starts with a desire to give God the credit for his goodness, and that requires concentrated effort on our part. When we come to this point, then both praise and thanksgiving pour forth from grateful hearts.
We are expecting great praise reports for answered prayers, salvations, healings physically, financially & relationally that have been prayed for this past week.