Ephesians 5:20 simply tells us to give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. No one will argue that we are living in trying times; that our lives have drastically changed since March 2020. Yet; we can give thanks to God for He never changes, and two verses from the Bible confirm this:
Psalm 33:11 – The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.
Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.
Here in Canada, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend. Even though the celebration might be different than previous years, we still have much to be thankful for.
Here are some Scripture verses that focus on giving thanks to God:
Psalm 7:17 – I will thank the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
The Lord is delighted when we give thanks and praise to Him. Doesn’t matter whether we can sing well or not; to the Lord is sounds heavenly.
Psalm 9:1 – I will give thanks to You, O Lord, with my whole heart I will declare all Your marvelous works.
Testimony stories comes to mind when I read this verse. We all have stories of what the Lord has done, whether for ourselves or someone else. When we share God’s marvelous works, we’re testifying of His goodness. God is no respecter of persons; what He does for one; He will do for another. Others will be encouraged to hear people openly thank God for what’s He’s does in their lives.
Psalm 106-1 – Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever.
Yes, we can give thanks to God; for He is good. And to know His mercy endures forever. That is definitely something to be thankful for. No matter how many times we mess up; God is merciful, and gives us another opportunity to do better. He is the God of second, third, and more chances if necessary, to get things right with Him.
Colossains 3:17 – And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
We can give thanks to God with our words and our deeds. This can be done on a daily basis; there’s no limit on what we can thank God for. We can thank Him in the morning when we wake up, knowing He’s giving us a brand new day.
I pray that those in Canada have a Happy Thanksgiving, and those in other parts of the world will rejoice too, and thank God for everything.
Anne, it is important to be thankful, it may not change our circumstances right away, but it will help to get through them.