Why are we grateful? Why do we gather to offer our thanks to the Lord God? Is this merely an empty formality, or is our gratitude based on a specific reason? Do we have a real reason to give thanks?
Yes, we have good reason to be grateful, and that is because we are entirely dependent on God and completely helpless without Him. Our lives are in His hands and depend on His blessings and His care. How many people have completely lost sight of this fact?
Someone once reminded a farmer that it was his duty to thank God for the bountiful harvest. But he replied, “I cultivated the land, sowed the seed, and brought in the harvest. Since I did all the work myself, I owe no thanks to anyone.” This man forgot who had given him health and strength to work, who had made the soil fertile and who had placed the life-giving power within the seed. He did not consider that it was God who sent the rain and the sunshine.
We are all often inclined to regard what we reap and earn as the fruits of our own labor. In doing so, we forget that without God’s blessing, all our work would be in vain. Behind every blessing we receive stands the God who bestows it. Yes, behind creation stands the Creator. “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Everything that has breath has received life from Him.
We are dependent on God and rely on Him in every way. If God had not blessed the work of our hands, if He had not provided rain and sunshine, our tables would be empty. Indeed, we would lack clothing and all other necessities and would surely be destitute.
Because He is the giver of every good gift and everything comes from God, we owe Him our thanks. And if we wish to offer Him special thanks on Thanksgiving, we should make sure that we do not merely give thanks with our lips, but from the bottom of our hearts.
To be grateful, we must also appreciate the good things the Lord gives us. Only when we learn to recognize the magnitude of the blessings bestowed upon us can we give thanks from the heart. What the Lord gives us are gifts of grace. We have no claim to anything.
How many people grumble and complain that they are not doing as well in this life as some others whom they envy. It would be much better if they would remember the blessings that the Lord has already bestowed upon them! They would then stop grumbling and complaining and instead begin to give thanks.
It is said that one Thanksgiving morning, a man instructed his two sons to walk through town and, upon their return, tell him whether they had seen anything that would inspire them to be grateful.
The first one went, and when he returned, he said, “I can’t see why I should be thankful for anything!” Then he began to talk about those who, by all appearances, were better off than he was. He mentioned the rich, who live in abundance, and compared the little he possessed with their wealth. He saw no reason to be thankful anywhere.
The other son, however, came back with beaming eyes and told how much he had seen that had inspired him to be grateful.
“I saw crippled John, who cannot get around without crutches. And oh, how grateful I am that I am healthy! I also saw old Mrs. Miller, who is so poor and forsaken, and has no one to look after her. Then I thought of our lovely home, of my dear parents, friends, relatives, and acquaintances. On the street corners were some poor boys dressed in rags, trying to earn a little money by selling newspapers. Then I thanked God, the Lord, that I have good clothes to wear. I also saw a poor man sitting in his wheelchair, without which he could not get around. And, O my father, I saw so many who were not grateful for the blessings they have been given! Again and again, I had to think: ‘Oh, we have lots of reasons to be grateful!'”
Which of these two sons have you been like in this past year?
If we open our eyes and look around us, we will see plenty to be thankful for. Some things may not be exactly as we would like them to be. But when we dwell on what we do not have, we lose sight of the good things we do possess.
However, if we look past the things we often wish we had and focus our gaze on what we truly do have, we will find ample reason to praise and give thanks. When we thank the Lord in this way with all our heart, we will become joyful and be happy within, because through thanksgiving the source of all joy is opened, and streams of heavenly blessings will flow down upon us.
Do we not have great cause to give thanks? How many people suffer want, while we have all we need! We should also give thanks with all our hearts for the many spiritual blessings the Lord gives us—namely, for the great salvation in Christ, of which we are privileged to experience and share in.
The Lord’s gracious protection and guidance, which He has granted us in the past, should also move us to give thanks. What would have become of us if He had withdrawn His protective hand from us? Even if something bad has happened to you, remember how much worse it could have been. Try counting the blessings the Lord has given you, and you won’t find enough words to express your gratitude.
“In everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
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