Thanksgiving, Gratitude

1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
2 Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing the praises of your name.”

5 Come and see what God has done,
his awesome deeds for mankind!
6 He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice in him.
7 He rules forever by his power,
his eyes watch the nations—
let not the rebellious rise up against him.

8 Praise our God, all peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
9 he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.
10 For you, God, tested us;
you refined us like silver.
11 You brought us into prison
and laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.

13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
and fulfill my vows to you—
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you
and an offering of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats.

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!

Quite often, we are led to give thanks after giving honor and adoration to God in our prayers. We give thanks for the amazing things God has done—for this world, for his people, and for us in our personal lives.

Notice how Psalm 66 moves from adoration to thanksgiving. In the first four verses the psalmist declares how awesome and glorious God is. Then in verse 5 we see a transition to “come and see what God has done.” From this point on, the psalm reads like an inventory of God’s gifts and amazing help. The psalmist describes how God saves and watches over his people, even in the context of trouble and disappointment, and the psalmist shares what God has done for him personally as well.

Psalm 66 teaches us the value of being specific when we give thanks to God. Many people like to keep a prayer journal that helps them pay attention to what God is doing in their lives. They keep a running list of God’s blessings and work for them, and they review their list in thanksgiving to God.

In our prayer life, gratitude can grow in many ways. God is incredibly gracious and generous. As we read in James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father. . . .” The one who gives so abundantly is most worthy to receive our abundant thanks.

Lord, how I can ever thank you enough for all the blessings I receive from you? Help me to be thankful and to use your gifts to enrich the lives of others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.