Having a Grateful Heart – By Matt Miller

Although recent weather doesn’t quite move the needle as we look forward to the month of November and the season in our nation that we observe nationally that of gratitude and thankfulness, that time is quickly approaching. The week of Thanksgiving is but 4 short weeks in the future.  Roughly one month from today. I haven’t noticed it as much in recent years.  Maybe it was the doldrums of COVID shutting people away from human interactions, maybe it is a number of other things distracting us from this time of year, but for whatever it is, we should make an intentional effort to be thankful and show our gratitude for that which is our countless blessings.

Paul calls for Christians to be a joyous and thankful people by way of his epistles (Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).  (Philippians 4:4 NKJV) “4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

(1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV) “18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Notice these are not dependent on our status in life, our station, season, or anything subjective going on for us.  Rather, Paul, uses these qualifiers instead – “always” and “everything”. That gives us circumstances and frequency for taking joy and being thankful/grateful. Because of our fellowship through the Son of God, we have hope in eternity, relationship with God and each other by the Son, and blessings innumerable in this life.  This is not a new notion that Paul has developed, but rather a theme that transcends dispensations.  It’s a call made by the Psalmist (Psalm 103:2-5 NKJV) “2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good [things], [So that] your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

And the reminder God gives to Israel to remember God’s provision for them in every way (Deut 8:10-11).

Certainly the material blessings, our health, our strength, etc. are things that we often are thankful for during this time of our year, but the exercise of this season maybe should be for us to be more focused in recognizing the fullness of God’s goodness and just how deeply our thanksgiving should be for everything.  The awesome as well as the mundane.

With this in mind, let’s each one make it a personal point to be more thankful in the month ahead.  Intentionally make the time each day to contemplate and be thankful, counting our blessings, even if we find our road beset and fraught with trouble and trials.  We live in a place where being thankful should come natural because of the great number of natural blessings we enjoy on a daily basis.

Some ways to start this are by giving thanks in prayer.  Make prayer more frequent and make thanksgiving the focus of these brief expressions to God.

Look for blessings in spite of our adversities that we might exercise patience in every situation. (James 1:2-4 NKJV) “2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Sometimes we find the road really hard today, but it is preparing us for some event or challenge down the road. Faith and trusting in God works that way sometimes.  We often think that life is really difficult, and that our road is just too hard, but that is when we need to lean more into the Lord and His provision. If you are going through such a season of challenge, struggle, or persecution, look back over your past and spot the points at which God has by circumstance and His word equipped you exactly for the day that is before you.  Let us with thanksgiving keep perspective of all that is here, pointing to a time when we will rest in His presence eternal. 

It is that hope which drives us onward and that eternal provision which makes it so that we can in sincerity give thanks to God in all times for all things through our Savior (Ephesians 5:20). Seeing our blessings for what they are also helps us to look forward with constant expectation that God will supply for us more blessings.  When we lose sight of these blessings, we become ungrateful like Israel as they bemoaned the bread which God supplied for them daily (Exodus 16:2-3; Numbers 11:4-6, 21:5)

Let’s make November a month of truly being thankful in all things for all things, putting life in its proper perspective and keeping an eye on the eternal.  Let’s remind people around us of blessings and share with each other in thanksgiving and gratefulness. When we do that, we will be like David, declaring , “(Psalm 23:5 NKJV) “5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.”