Gratitude and thankfulness is not only an attractive personality trait worthy of admiration, but it is also an appealing posture of the heart which has the potential to attract God's attention...
Just as humans naturally love to be appreciated, and their good nature or good deeds recognized, so also God Who created us in His likeness also desires and expects us to maintain a heart of gratitude towards Him, so much so that His anger could be kindled in an atmosphere of continuous complaints and ungratefulness, which to Him is a show of unbelief and a lack of trust in His personality and His ability...
Probably no wonder He dealt with the Children of Israel of Old in the wilderness in such manner that may have seemed like they were not His own chosen people; as their ungrateful attitude often got to His nerves, especially despite the fact that they had seen His divine hand of deliverance with signs and wonders, yet they seemed to quickly forget and drift into unbelief...
"...They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them. They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the desert?..." Psalms 78:11,18,19 (NIV)
And no wonder also that the Psalmist David who was called "a man after God's heart", wrote often about recalling the goodness, mercies, and faithfulness of God, and giving Him thanks and praise for the same, in spite of whatever the present situation was...
So we find severally in the Psalms, "O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever."...
Interestingly, we find that it is often easier for us to remember the pains of the past and to talk about the problems in the present than to recall the good things we had experienced in times past and the seemingly insignificant blessings we have presently...
It may also be interesting for us to find that thankfulness or gratefulness is not mentioned as one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23); which may probably indicate that we do not necessarily need a supernatural power or a special anointing from God to help us to be thankful; rather we find verses in the Scriptures that probably requires us to make a conscious effort to remember and be mindful of God's goodness and make an intentional choice to be thankful to Him regardless of the current situation or the present needs we may have...
So the Psalmist wrote: "Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits..." Psalms 103:1-2 (NKJV)
And Paul the Apostle admonished: "...In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1Thesselonians 5:18 (NKJV)
Indeed, there are benefits to maintaining a heart of gratitude towards God; such as experiencing His intervention in your areas of need, and experiencing divine provision or multiplication; but more importantly, thanksgiving especially when done sacrificially (in the midst of a dire need or a painful season of trial), is a show of one's submission to the will of God (which is always for good), and a show of a resolute faith in the faithfulness of God and confidence in the power of God...
Truly, "there is always always something to be thankful for, if only we remain mindful of them"; and God will always be near to the thankful...
"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
Thank you for sharing with me!
#JesusChristIsLORD #GODisStillinCharge
