When people think of Thanksgiving, there are many different things that may come to mind.  Some may think of filling their stomachs with a turkey dinner and all the fixings and for others, it is a day to be in the kitchen preparing a meal for family and friends.

Some may think of all day football while others look forward to talking and catching up with others.  It could mean a much-needed day off work, or a day to give back and volunteer at a community outreach. It could be a time when loved ones who passed away are missed, or a chance to be with the people in your life that you miss. 

No matter what feelings, plans or images people associate with Thanksgiving, the day is intended to remind us of what we have to be thankful for.

As children, we learned about the history of Thanksgiving.  We made turkeys out of our painted hands and Indian and Pilgrim hats out of construction paper.  We learned that Thanksgiving was a time when people from two diverse backgrounds shared a meal together. Yet, there is more to Thanksgiving than just this. 

 According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Pilgrims used to give thanks regularly, laying aside days intended for prayer with a focus of thankfulness for their blessings. 

Thanksgiving wasn’t just one day once a year, it was a part of their everyday lives.  The attitude the Pilgrims had about giving thanks is the same attitude we need to have.  Thanksgiving should be a regular part of our lives, an intentional choice to stop and think about all the blessings we have been given.

The Bible is full of passages about thanking and praising God and acknowledging his presence in our lives. We can give thanks to God because of who he is, what he has done and what he promises to do.  In Psalm 103:1-4 David speaks to God and says, 

“Praise the Lord, my soul, all my innermost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion”.

In this Psalm, it is obvious that David understands the need to praise the Lord for who he is.  He emphasizes that God is the giver of blessings, our healer, forgiver, and redeemer. He knows that God is holy and deserving of praise because God himself proved to be loving and compassionate to him. 

The word praise in this passage of scripture means to praise with strong affection.  David wasn’t just going through the motions of praise and analytically listing reasons to praise God.  Instead, David himself had experienced the Lord in such a powerful way that the presence of God resonated in his heart, soul, mind, and body.  David chose to praise God with respect, adoration, and awe.

In Isaiah 12:4-5, God is speaking through Isaiah to believers about his promises.

“And on that day, you will say, “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name.  Make known his deeds among the peoples; make them remember that his name is exalted.”  Praise the Lord in song, for he has done glorious things; let this be known throughout the earth.”

These verses praise God for what he will do and the hope we have in Christ.  In verse 4, Isaiah urges believers to remember that God’s name is to be exalted. 

In most of the Bible, the word exalt refers to the holiness and sovereignty of God, and the humility we should have in his presence.  I love how the verse says, “make them remember”.  God knows us so well!  He knows that at times, we need to be reminded to exalt him and not ourselves or what we have. 

God knows that we are forgetful, but he is still faithful to his promises.  In verse five, we are called to let others know what glorious things God has done. The better we understand God’s faithfulness, the more we will want to share it!

The book of Hebrews is attributed to Paul, written to remind the first century believers to hold fast to the fulfilled promises of God, living their lives in the hope and assurance they have in Christ.  Hebrews 12:28 encourages members of the church to keep their faith in Jesus and not return to their former ways. 

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”

This verse in Hebrews calls believers to praise and worship God, secure in the knowledge that the kingdom of God cannot be shaken.  We will always have cause to worship and praise God!  When we see and understand that we are part of God’s kingdom as heirs, how can we be anything but in awe?  How can we approach the throne of God with any other attitude other than reverence?

I recall a song by Dan Moen, whose lyrics were simple but relevant, “Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ, his Son”. 

The song goes on to say that we are to give thanks because of “what the Lord has done for us”.  Even if God gave us nothing, his gift of sacrificing Christ for our sins is enough to praise him and give thanks to him with every moment of our lives. 

The Bible instructs us to give thanks in everything, in all circumstances and situations, and in all seasons of life (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  Although we may not always do this, we will always have reasons to be thankful; all we need to do is believe and remember who God is, what he has done, and what he will do. 

When we focus our minds and hearts on being thankful, it is easier to praise God for what he does in us and through us.  This Thanksgiving, remember that you have much to be grateful for.

Application Questions

Do you know who God is? Is he present in your heart, mind, body, and soul?

Is God calling you to share your reasons for Thanksgiving to someone in particular?

Is there a passage of scripture that you can go to remind you of all you have to praise God for? 

Are you approaching the throne of God with humility and reverence?

Do you praise God because you feel you have to or because you want to?

Can you remember a time in your life recently when you knew that God was fulfilling a promise to you?