Psalm 7:17 "I will give thanks to the LORD because of His righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High."
As we enter November, we tend to focus more on gratitude throughout the month due to the Thanksgiving holiday. There are many things for us to be thankful for such as family, friends, and provision. For this month’s devotional, we will focus on giving thanks to the Source of all the things we have to be grateful for.
Who He is
Hebrews 13:15 "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess His name."
There are several names for God and His attributes are inexhaustible. He is the God of the universe. He is not limited to time and space as He is the One who created them. He is omnipotent, all powerful. He is omniscient, all knowing. He is omnipresent, everywhere at once. While it may be difficult or even impossible for us to fathom these qualities, that doesn’t stop Him from being them and more! The fact that this magnificent God loves and wants to know each of us individually should blow our minds! We humans can be fickle, hard-headed, prideful, and so many other things that aren’t like Him, yet He loves us in spite of it. Therefore, our hearts should be brimming with gratitude for His unconditional love He offers, so much so, that we can’t help but to tell others about this great God as Hebrews 13:15 declares.
What He’s done, is doing, and will do
Psalm 9:1 "I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds"
God is always working, even when we don’t see it. These instances of not seeing God’s hand during a trial are numerous as they are an element of building trust and faith. If we always saw Him moving behind the scenes in real time, or if we knew when and how the situation would be resolved, there would be no need for us to have trust or faith. However, if you have been walking with the Lord for a while, you can look back on situations in your life when at the time you didn’t see the way out but now that you’re on the other side, you see how God was there the whole time. These instances are to encourage us when the next trial arrives, knowing if He did it before, He’ll do it again. The more we walk with Him, the more our victories propel our faith forward to trust and believe that all things will indeed work for our good no matter what comes our way, (Romans 8:28)! In this way, our lives become testimonies to the greatness of God both indirectly, via observation, and directly as we tell of His wonderful works, (Psalm 9:1).
That He will never leave us nor forsake us
Psalm 107: 1 and 1 Chronicles 16:34 both state “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”
How comforting is it that this amazing God that we have the privilege of knowing will never leave us? This magnificent God full of positive attributes will never abandon us! That is a reassurance money can’t buy. To know that nothing can separate us from His love can give us a confidence that no other relationship can. Even in challenging situations, whether it’s the death of a loved one; a sin we committed; a difficult child, etc., God is present, lending a hand to comfort, forgive, guide, or provide whatever we need. He also celebrates our accomplishments and joyful events in our lives with us, even while authoring them. He is a constant, unconditional friend and loves us with an everlasting love that runs deep and proved itself before we were even born given Jesus’s sacrificial death over 2,000 years ago. To think, we will eventually be in heaven face to face with this God. That thought alone should have us overflowing with excitement, hope, and gratitude as we anticipate that encounter.
Reflection: What difficult situation can you thank God for knowing: 1) He is working it out for your good. 2) He is using the trial to cultivate a Godly characteristic within you. 3) He is walking with you as you go through it and will never leave you alone.
