We have all sorts of Thanksgiving traditions. Football is a big one for many, watching a parades is as well. For my family, it was always about bringing lots of cornbread to whatever gathering we were part of.
A common tradition for many is sitting around the Thanksgiving table, preparing to give thanks for all the things that we have, or for our experiences for the past year. Some believe that started with the first Thanksgiving in 1621 when pilgrims gathered with the Native Americans, shared a meal together, and gave thanks.
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This is a time characterized by expressing gratitude for what we have. It’s easy to express gratitude when all that food is in front of you, isn’t it? But while we can take take time to give thanks, it’s not always so easy to express gratitude year round.
We have seasons of life when it’s not easy to find reasons for gratitude. Life gets complicated, or we feel stressed and pressured. It’s not easy when life gets hard.
As we wrap up our Themes of Thanksgiving series and lean into the theme of gratitude, I want us to understand how we can be thankful throughout the year. Can we give thanks outside of the normal season of Thanksgiving? How can we be thankful in hard and stressful time? Expressing gratitude even when life is difficult can help us grow spiritually.
Gratitude is the capstone of Thanksgiving.
Our gratitude is what makes Thanksgiving what it is. Gratitude is like the theme of generosity, which we spoke of last week, in that it’s easier to practice at certain seasons, but that it should be something we engage with throughout the year.
Gratitude in Psalm 136
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good: His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1-6
Give thanks to the God of gods: His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
To him who alone does great wonders: His love endures forever.
Who by his understanding made the heavens: His love endures forever
Who spread out the earth upon the waters: His love endures forever.
This Psalm keeps going for 26 verses. Each verse describes a reason for thanksgiving then responds that “His love endures forever.” God’s enduring love, by itself, is something to be grateful for, right? But we also see more encouragement towards gratitude in the New Testament:
Gratitude in the New Testament
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Colossians 3:15-16
Paul wrote this to conclude his letter to the church in Colossae. It’s like a reminder to be people of peace and gratitude, and to let Jesus’s message dwell in you so deeply and richly that you express gratitude not just in words, but with songs and teachings as well.”
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:18-20
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
This is who God wants us to be. He wants us to be people who are grateful and thankful in all circumstances. Scripture is constantly reminding us to be grateful.
Reasons for continual gratitude
How can we be grateful when it’s hard to give thanks? What allows us to be thankful continually? Psalm 100 gives us something that helps us.
A psalm for giving grateful praise.
Psalm 100
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
This psalm helps us understand how to be grateful even in difficult circumstances. Do you notice that the reasons for thanksgiving have nothing to do with the psalmist’s experience? The reasons for thanksgiving have everything to do with who God is.
We tend to think of gratitude in terms of our experience or our posessions. I can look at my clothes and say I feel good about what I’m wearing, so I’m thankful. I’m thankful for how they look, and I’m thankful for how they keep me warm.
But a Biblical understanding of thankfulness is deeper. It links the things we are grateful for back to God and to what he has provided.
That means I’m not just thankful for these clothes. I’m thankful that God made the materials and he gave people the creativity to design them. I can be thankful that he thought of me and provided for me.
Biblical thankfulness is not tied to what we have or what kind of day we’ve had. It’s completely tied to who God is. That allows us to praise him regardless of our situation or our possessions. In seasons of drought or distress, we can be thankful because our thankfulness has nothing to do with ourselves and everything to do with God.
The impact of where we focus our gratitude
When our gratitude is centered on us, it often become conditional. When our gratitude is centered on God, it can become continual.
Scripture says that God will never change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore I can praise him because he is constant. By comparison, my circumstances constantly change.
Have you ever had a bad day where you lay your head on your pillow at night and think, this has been a tough day? It’s been hard, I can’t get a break. The boss is being ridiculous, your spouse or family are stressing you out, you got stuck in traffic.
When our gratitude is conditional, we dwell more on the negative. It’s easier to be ungrateful based on circumstances. But when our gratitude is based on who God is, we can be thankful regardless of circumstance.
A Biblical understanding of gratitude focuses on who God is. For example, Psalm 100:3 says it is God who made us and we are the sheep of his pasture. Regardless of circumstance, I know who God is. I know he is faithful and that he is with me. Therefore, I choose to be grateful.
We don’t know if the psalmist was having a great day or if they wrote this in a time of pain. We do know that the gratitude here isn’t dependent on circumstances. Their thankfulness is based on who God is.
Choosing to base gratitude on God, not ourselves
I kept a prayer journal for about eight years. It’s a tool that helps me in my prayer time, where I’d write out a prayer in the morning and again at night. Looking back on it, there were periods where several days were tough, and my prayer would be something like, “God, today sucked. I’m exhausted, it was horrible, and I feel tired and annoyed. Amen.”
I realized that if I keep this up, my journal will be filled with negativity. I won’t have anything good to say. So, I changed my approach a little. I’d still say that today sucked, that I feel defeated and all of that. But I learned to add that “I know you’re with me. I know you love me. Thank you for that. I love you. Amen.”
While it was a small change, the difference in perspective was huge. Rather than dwell on the negative, I could say the Lord is still good. He gave me something to be thankful for. I could still acknowledge my pain while also acknowledging the work of God.
That doesn’t mean that we ignore the pain. The solution isn’t to ignore hardship and put on a smile and pretend everything’s okay when it isn’t. But I do believe that it’s to place our gratitude in a source other than our circumstances, in something higher than whether the day was good.
It’s good to recognize and be thankful for the good things God has given us. Those things are good, but I believe we take gratitude further when we base it on the continual goodness, faithfulness, and consistency of the love of God. As God is consistent, I find my gratitude can be consistent.
Paul gives us an example of that kind of gratitude
We all know the verse that says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The context of that verse gives us a good look at Paul’s gratitude.
I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:10-13
We tend to quote this last verse like it’s a super power, don’t we? I can do anything. I have all sorts of magical abilities because of Jesus who gives me strength.
The context communicates more about the an ability to endure, to be sustained, to be content because of the way Christ strengthens him. Because of Christ, I can be content. Because of Christ I can endure living in plenty or in want, I can experience being well fed or hungry. It is because of Christ that I can do these things.
I truly believe there’s a link between what it is to be content and what it is to be grateful. When we’re content, we feel like “I’m okay, I’m being taken care of. I’m good.” It’s that point where you’re eating a meal and you’re satisfied and don’t need any more. It’s like you’re in that space between hungry and full. You’re in the middle, you’re content.
Content doesn’t always mean full. Too much of being full can lead to health problems. Paul’s saying he’s good, he’s in that in between space. More than that, his contentedness isn’t dependent on circumstances. He can be content whatever the situation.
Gratitude in all circumstances
When things aren’t going well, when we struggle, we can say Great is Your Faithfulness. You may be running out of steam, Great is Your Faithfulness. When the people around drive us crazy, Great is Your Faithfulness.
We just had an election, and maybe you’re feeling hopeful or maybe you feel fearful. The Word says that “you put the government on your shoulders” which means God has this. Thank you Lord, Great is your Faithfulness.
Biblical gratitude is less about what’s in the center of the table and more about focusing on God as our center.
Our first message in the series was on stewardship. Everything we have belongs to God and we’ve been entrusted with it. We can thank God for trusting us, whether it’s a little or a lot, because it all comes from God. When we view everything as God’s we don’t need to worry about what we don’t have.
God has given me something. He’s entrusted me. Thank you for what you’ve given me. Great is your faithfulness. Whether I have plenty or little, whether hunger or well fed, Great is Your Faithfulness. Whether I’m the energizer bunny incarnate or tired as I’ve ever been, Great is your faithfulness. I may be in a community of people who support me or struggling to find others to be in community with, Great is your faithfulness.
God does not change. He is the same. He is faithful and consistent. God is faithful. We have reason for gratitude no matter the circumstances. Let us choose to be a people of gratitude, not just for the season, but out of it. Let us be grateful in hardship and trial, and grow spiritually as we choose gratitude.