Thanks be to God

Happy Thanksgiving Eve. 😊 For many of us, tomorrow will be a day filled with family, friends, and way too much food. I wonder how many of us take the abundance we enjoy for granted. I wonder how many of us, when we go around the table telling what we are thankful for put God first.

This Psalm is not the only place in Scripture that tells us to thank God for His goodness. I checked because I was curious. The words thank, thanked, thankful, thankfulness, thanking, thanks, thanksgiving, and thanksgivings appear in the ESV translation a total of 170 times. That’s a lot. And I think it reinforces the thankfulness we should have towards God for all He has done for us. 

Think about it. I’m sure all (or most) of us are thankful for our family and friends. But who brought those people into our lives?

I’m sure we are all thankful for having food in our tummies and a roof over our heads. But who gave us the means to have those blessings?

I’m sure we are all thankful for the income we have that allows us to live a comfortable life. Who brought us the opportunity for that income?

I’m sure we are all thankful for the country we live in, where we can worship (or not) as we see fit, where we can express ourselves, and where we can walk the streets in safety. Who brought us here and planted us where we are?

You see, no matter what we are thankful for on Thanksgiving, it all goes back to the blessings that God gives us in abundance. We all too often forget where those blessings come from. It’s easy to believe that we are all responsible for our own lives and all that we have. But without God, none of it would be possible.

Our intellect, our heart, our soul, our very being is a result of all that God has given to us. Our task as His children is to give thanks and then use all that He has given us to make this world we live in a better place. 

May we never stop proclaiming the words of this Psalm: Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 118:1 ESV)

Blessings, 😊 Ceri