Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
I remember teaching both of my children this verse when they were in kindergarten. They had to memorize it for their Bible class.
It was one of the longer verses for K5, but obviously came around the Thanksgiving holiday.
It was pretty easy for them to memorize too, I think because the words paint such a vivid picture. I also taught them a little chorus I sang in college that came from that verse which they enjoyed.
When you think about it, it’s really a perfect verse for little ones to learn. It teaches them, in very simple terms, one of the most important lessons of life – especially for the Christian.
Thank God – for everything!
Plus, it’s a verse that grows with us as we mature in our faith, as we learn the different ways in which we can demonstrate our thanks – praise, worship, prayer.
However, today I want to talk about that simple act of thanksgiving we learn first – saying thank you.
It seems like such a simple thing, but it is one small gesture that can have huge rewards.
We usually don’t realize how important these two words are until one of two things happen: Either, we don’t hear them when we expect to, or we do hear them when we’re not expecting to at all.
You need look no further than the advice columns in the newspaper to find the hurt feelings experienced by people who thought they deserved a thank you and didn’t receive one.
No Thanks
Whether it’s grandparents who have graciously given unending gifts to their grandchildren, never desiring anything in return but just a thanks, or disgruntled wedding guests who have sent a nice gift to a couple and never heard a response, the absence of those two little words can cause big rifts in relationships.
How many of us hurt for Jesus as we read the story of the ten lepers.
Ten men met Jesus along the road one day. Because they were lepers, they called to him afar off, and begged for mercy.
The sound of words left unspoken is deafening.
He told them to go show themselves to the priests and as they went, they were miraculously healed.
Yet, we find only one man who returned to Jesus to say thank you.
Certainly Jesus was happy for this one man, but it did not keep him from asking about the others.
“Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
The sound of words left unspoken is deafening.
Unexpected Blessings
On the other hand, we can feel the power of those two little words just as strongly when we are not expecting them.
Like most parents, my husband and I do our best to teach our children the importance of gratefulness, both to God and to others.
And, as with most parental training, you’re never really sure what’s getting through until you see it manifest in your children without any encouragement on your part.
My daughter was only about five or six when she first gave signs that she was developing a heart of gratitude.
We had just attended a kindergarten orientation for her at our area elementary school and took her for ice cream afterward.
She popped her little head in between our seats and said, “Thanks for taking me for ice cream mommy and daddy!”
I was taken aback at first. I just didn’t expect her to say it for something so simple as ice cream, but then I realized, it wasn’t a little thing to her.
It was special time with her mom and dad, and she was grateful for it.
Talk about a proud mom moment.
Bless her heart, she continues to do it to this day, for special little moments – when I take her and her friends bowling or ice skating for her birthday, when we buy her something special, even when we take her and her brother out to eat.
I have always known the importance of being thankful. My parents taught us that from the time we were small, but can I tell you I never understood the power of those two little words until I was on the receiving end. When either one of my children stops what they are doing, and comes over to me and says thank you for anything, but especially little everyday things, it is just the best feeling.
Do you realize that we have the power to make God feel like that?
Make His Day
In fact, that’s one of the reasons for which we have been created.
Every time we stop and make the effort to say those two little words, we completely make His day.
I think, just like with my own children, God is most pleased with us when we thank Him for the little things. Things that other people might find trivial, but are important specifically to you.
Like how God knew this intense love I have for football, and so, he gave me a son who loves it just as much. That’s a connection, a shared passion the two of us will always have. That’s special to me. Someone else may think that’s completely ludicrous, but to me, it means something, and I thank God for it all the time. Because I know, he knew it would mean something to me.
It’s just like when my kids thank me for something as simple as taking them out to eat or chauffeuring them around to all their activities.
That show of gratitude means more to me than the thank you’s for big Christmas gifts. Why? Because saying thank you for those little things takes a special awareness on the part of the one giving thanks. It takes a bit of emotional maturity and even humility to realize that “Hey mom and dad, I realize you don’t have to do this for me. It’s not big. It’s not required, but you love me so you do it anyway. So thanks!”
It’s the same with God. When we thank him for the little things, he sees our humility, our maturity, and He is blessed!
I remember one Thanksgiving, our pastor challenged us to spend the whole day just thanking God for things.
“That is the true blessing of thanksgiving. It brings the giver and the receiver closer together.”
No petitions.
No requests.
Just praise and thanksgiving!
It was a bit difficult at first. I am just so used to asking God for things as part of my prayer, but I got used to it, and after a while I found I really enjoyed it.
In fact, I ended up praying a whole lot more often throughout that day than normal. There are just so many things to thank God for when you give it even half an effort.
It was such an intimate time between the Lord and I.
That is the true blessing of thanksgiving. It brings the giver and the receiver closer together. I believe that is the true reason God created us to praise him. Because just like a good earthly father, He desires to have His children close to Him
While we shouldn’t wait for one special day to thank God for things, I do think it’s pretty awesome that our country has a special time when we pause to remember all that God’s done for us.
And, yes, that is exactly the reason Thanksgiving, the holiday, began. It was not just to have a day of giving thanks in general, but to set a day apart for giving thanks to our heavenly father.
In President Abraham Lincoln’s Proclamation of Thanksgiving he wrote:
“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
Can’t be much clearer than that.
So, this Thanksgiving holiday, once the turkey is safely in the oven, the house is clean, and the table is set, let’s all make the time to honor our former president’s wishes and say those two little words that bless our Father’s heart – thank you!
Are there any special traditions or things you or your family does on Thanksgiving to honor the Lord and thank him for His blessings to you?
I’d love to hear about them in the comments.
