Prayer - Thanksgiving

Psalm 107:1-3 “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.  Let the redeemed of the LORD say this”

It’s all very well having a thankful heart, but here the psalmist is saying voice your thankfulness. 

Jonathan Edwards calls the deeper, primary form of thankfulness ‘gracious gratitude.’ It gives thanks not for goods received, but for who God is: for His character -- His goodness, love, power, excellencies -- regardless of favours received. And it's real evidence of the Holy Spirit working in a person's life.

To be grateful is to recognise the love of God in everything He has given us -- and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.

Lysa Terkeurst says “If there was ever a secret for unleashing God’s powerful peace in a situation, it’s developing a heart of true thanksgiving.” 

Such thanksgiving could be said to be positional, that is our response to the loving kindness of God; in other words how much we allow the Lordship of Christ to rule in our lives. Your identity is not wrapped up in how right you get it or how perfect you can posture yourself. But, your identity is wrapped up in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was John Wesley who said, “Thanksgiving is inseparable from true prayer; it is almost essentially connected with it. One who always prays is ever giving praise, whether in ease or pain, both for prosperity and for the greatest adversity. He blesses God for all things, looks on them as coming from Him, and receives them for His sake- not choosing nor refusing, liking or disliking, anything, but only as it is agreeable or disagreeable to His perfect will.”

We worship you, eternal Father.
We call on you, eternal Son.
We confess you, Holy Spirit, 

dwelling in one divine unity.

To you, Trinity we give praise and thanks.
To you, one God, we sing in endless praise.

To you, Father unbegotten,
to you, the only-begotten Son,
to you, Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, we confess with our hearts,
to you beyond all thought, surpassing all understanding, to the all-powerful God we give thanks; who reigns, now and forever. Amen