Give Thanks

I recently got an answer to a major prayer that I had been waiting on God for; when the answer came through, all I could think of was the fact that I had to give thanks to God for an answered prayer. Hence this post, as it was laid in my spirit to write an article on giving thanks. This is actually an old post that has been updated and as if God wanted to give me further proof that I was to write on this topic, I had a need to go through my old sent mails for a file; I found this post while searching for what I needed. Those days, as a young child I doubt I ever saw any of my friends say thanks to their parents for making them eat something they didn’t like, in my case fish; but when they brought home food from Mr. Biggs or gala or chupa chups, we would be overflowing with thanks for the gifts. But God doesn’t want us to only give thanks when He gives us gifts but also when we’re going through situations that make it seem like the world is collapsing around us. One person that definitely practiced this, regardless of the circumstance, was Jesus. He gave thanks when He fed the 5000 and He gave thanks when He was preparing for His death.

Why is it important to give thanks to God in all situations? I Thessalonians 5:18 tells us that it is the will of God. He wants us to thank Him even when we don’t feel like it. Are you going through a heartbreak? Thank Him. Are you going through a job loss? Thank Him. Are you going through a sickness like cancer? Thank Him. Why? Because He is good and His love endures forever (Ps. 107:1)! In thanking Him, even when it isn’t going your way, it shows you trust and love Him.

But as we all know, it isn’t exactly easy to say God I thank you just after losing that pregnancy or after losing a job you’ve worked so hard to get and to maintain. So how then do we go about doing what the bible says is the will of God?

Practical Steps to Give Thanks

Thank Him for the little things: remember that time you woke up and your lungs filled with oxygen? No? For those of us in Nigeria or places similar, remember that time you walked into your house and turned the light switch and the light came on? No? Or that morning you woke up and the beautiful rays of the sun greeted you? These are little things that happen in our daily life. Thank God for them. I still thank God each time my cash/POS transactions go through. If you haven’t had to chase a bank to refund your money or raced to the bank first thing in the morning so they don’t destroy the card, you won’t understand the stress levels. The point is, thank God, no matter how little the situation.

Thank Him in faith: are you expecting a miracle or a door to open in your life? Thank Him. Why? Because you’re letting God know that you have absolute trust in His ability to deliver as He promised in Phil. 4:19; that verse says all your needs, keyword ALL. Remember the incident of the five loaves of bread and two fishes? Jesus didn’t call down fire and brimstone. He didn’t summon the angels in the higher places. He simply said: Father thanks and that was it.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. -Mark 6:41 (NIV)

There’s a lot of power in giving thanks to God, do not let any situation no matter how tough or discouraging stop you from giving thanks.

The charge to each and every one of us is to give thanks with a grateful heart; start with the little things. Thank God for the gift of breath. When you see the sun rise, thank God for the ability to see such a beautiful scene. Little by little, you will be able to cultivate the habit of giving thanks and before you know it, you’ll be thanking Him for walking or like I do for withdrawal from the ATM.