Happy Thanksgiving!
As my pastor taught last night, thankfulness is a God-given antidote to anxiety (see Philippians 4:4-7). And what a great blessing that our nation sets aside a whole holiday for it!
But, Christian, this thankfulness God prescribes is not the generalized feeling of thankfulness that our culture promotes. It’s not just an attitude of gratitude; it’s not just appreciating what we have; it’s not just a sense of recognition that our lives are better than they could be.
This biblical thankfulness is a recognition of and to the Giver of those gifts we are grateful for. This is actually telling our good and kind and gracious heavenly Father that we are grateful to Him for what He has done for us, for what He has given us, for what He has brought us through and for the way He is bringing us through the struggles we have now.
This thankfulness is directing our thanks to the One who has bestowed every gift.
So this Thanksgiving, don’t just “be thankful.” Actually thank God.
Don’t just appreciate what you have. Humble yourself before the God of the universe, who purposely and knowingly and lovingly gave you all those things, and tell Him how much you appreciate each one.
Don’t just feel gratitude. Express that gratitude to the One who is the Source of every good gift.
Take some time to do this, friend. Let the magnitude of God’s love and kindness sink into your heart and mind. If you don’t know where to start, pick one thing: a loved one, or a favorite memory, or the breath in your lungs, or the steadfast love of the Lord which none of us deserves but each of us has been freely given, or the complete forgiveness and transformation and reconciliation He has granted us by His grace simply through faith in Jesus.
Think about that gift. Dwell on it for a while. What might your life have been like without that? What benefits has it brought you? And Who gave it to you, and why?
And then humbly give thanks to God for that gift. Recognize His goodness, His kindness, His grace, His love for you. And rest in that, friend. When we see God for who He is, when we recognize what He’s done for us already, when we feel the weight of His love and His gifts and His goodness, our anxieties drop away. We can cast them on Him, as He tells us to do, because we see how He cares for us. We can remember that even in life’s hardships, God is with us, He is holding us, and He will bring us through, for our good and to His glory.
“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”
Psalm 107:1 ESV
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Philippians 4:4-8 ESV
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV
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