THANKSGIVING TO GOD

"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High." (Psalm 92:1).

 

"And he fell upon his face at His [Jesus’] feet, giving Him thanks." (Luke 17:16a).

 

The story of the ten lepers in Luke chapter 17 illustrates a valuable lesson about being thankful.  Jesus graciously healed all ten lepers who came to Him for help, but only one, when he realized that he had been made whole, returned to give God the glory, and to thank the Savior Who had touched his life.  It was no superficial "thank you" either: he fell down upon his face at Jesus feet, thanking Him with all his heart.  The other nine were healed as well, but they were content to simply follow what was required of the law, go to the priests as Jesus had directed them, and be pronounced clean.  Scripture points out that the one who returned to give thanks was a Samaritan, whereas the nine are presumed to have been Jews.  How typical it had become for the Jews to be so fixated on the law and their traditions that they lost sight of the Law-Giver and Giver of Life.  Even in light of a notable miracle, they did not think to give God glory for the gift of the Messiah Who had made their healing possible.  Yes, I'm sure that the one eventually went to show himself to the priests in order to receive their sanction that it was alright for him to return to society again, and be around his family and others; but not before expressing his gratitude to God the Son. 

 

Jesus said to this Samaritan, "Arise, and go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole." (Luke 17:19).  The word "whole" in this verse implies to me that he was changed both outwardly and inwardly by this experience with the Savior, and that the agent which had worked this complete transformation was his faith.  I have no doubt that this man went on to follow the Lord, but what of the nine?  Though they were healed in body, did their lack of thankfulness also keep them from following Jesus the rest of their lives?  How our heart responds to God's goodness has everything to do with our response to Him overall.  "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23). 

 

We, as humans, too often become discontented with what we have, and with what God has done for us, and desire to have more.  Even when we are blessed with an overabundance of possessions, we crave some new toy or gadget, and take all that we already have for granted.  We live in a gimme, gimme world in which folks are rarely thankful for what they have been given.  Isn't it strange that the season of thanksgiving is followed by the season of overindulgence and greediness which, in turn, is followed by a time of introspection and new resolutions?!

 

God, in His great wisdom, knows that not everything we desire is going to be good for us, and, like any good father, He refuses to give us everything that we ask for.  There are times, though, that He will allow a selfish request, and usually that thing that we count as a great treasure will become a great curse in the end.  The Israelites were fed in the wilderness with bread from heaven, but they soon became tired of the manna and craved meat.  God did indeed send them quail to eat, but the quail turned into a curse, and many of the people were slain.

 

Many years ago, I purchased a used VW window van.  I had wanted one for some time, and a neighbor told me where I could buy one for a good price.  Without praying about it, or even really talking it over with my wife, I went out and bought the van.  It ran like a top all the way home, but the first time I took it out, it stalled on me, and I had to take it for service.  When I got it back, and took it out, something else failed, and I had to repair it again.  This same thing happened just about every time that I tried to drive it until I couldn't afford to keep pouring money into it.  At that point, it sat in my driveway for a couple of years.  During that time I tried to sell it as is, and could not find a single buyer who was interested.  Finally, the Lord dealt with my heart, and I humbled myself before Him, and confessed that I should have consulted Him to begin with before making such a major purchase, and that very week a man came to our door asking to buy the van.  Through this experience, I began to learn that God wants to be involved in every area of our lives.  God knows that there are things that we want that will bring us blessing, and there are things that we want that will not.  Our great need is to learn to be content with what we have, and not only content, but thankful.  "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5).  

 

"Be careful [full of care and anxiety] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Philippians 4:6).  When Paul and Silas found themselves in the deepest cell of a Philippian prison, they began to pray, and sing, and praise, and thank God in the midst of their trial.  They were in physical pain because of the beating that they had received, and they were shackled down and locked up, having lost their freedom, and yet they thanked God.  As a result, God answered in a miraculous way, and they were set free, and souls were saved that night!

 

Shortly after my wife, Terry, and I were saved, I found myself laid off from my job, and running short of cash.  We had stocked up on many of the staples like potatoes, veggies, eggs, etc., but we got down to the point where we had just one package of meat left in the house, and no means to purchase more.  God reminded us of His promise that said, “…my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19).  I remember sitting down to the table with my young family to eat that last bit of meat, and thanking God for that meal that He had given us, and for the promise that He had given us in His Word.  We believed firmly that we shouldn’t tell a soul about our need – God saw us and would care for us.  We had just finished our prayer when there was a knock on our front door.  When I answered it, a brother in Christ that we knew came in carrying a large paper grocery bag.  He knew nothing of our need.  He brought the bag to the table and said, "I hope I don't offend you, but I was just visiting my father and he needed to clear his freezer to make room for a cow he just butchered.  He gave me all of this meat and I can't use it all, so I wondered if you could."  With that, he began pulling out packages of hamburger, and steaks, and beef roasts, etc.  To his amazement, we just began praising and thanking our heavenly Father for His care over us.  After hearing our testimony, he, too, gave thanks and praise for God’s faithfulness.  That bag of meat lasted us until I was called back to work and got my first paycheck. 

 

"I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD." (Psalm 116:17).  "And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing." (Psalm 107:22).  Sometimes, it is important for us to thank God even when we don't feel it, or see anything to be thankful for.  When we can put to death our own will, and accept God's path for us even when we don't understand it, and can't see where it is leading, this is truly a sacrifice of praise, and it is well pleasing in the sight of God.

 

"Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms." (Psalm 95:2).  "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." (Psalm 100:4).  When we thank and praise our God, we enter into His very presence where we can feel the warmth of His love, and His blessing.  Every season of the year, I want to be truly thankful for all that I have been given, and all that I have not.  And those things that I don't yet understand, He will soon make clear to me as I seek to know His will in all areas of my life.  He is ever faithful, and worthy to be praised and thanked!

 

Beyond being thankful, there is a way that we can actually repay the Lord for all His blessings.  "What shall I render unto the LORD for all His benefits toward me?  I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD." (Psalms 116:12, 13).  The way in which we can best render praise to God is to drink of His salvation and call on His name.  Nothing grieves the Lord more than when we refuse the fullness of His salvation, and don't believe in His promises.  Everything we will ever need in this life we find in Christ Jesus.  He has spread a banquet before us, and shall we not eat?  He is our very life and breath.  Can we ever run out of ways or reasons to thank Him?  Let's be thankful to God, therefore, for all the goodness that He bestows upon us every day of our lives. 

  

"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift." (2 Corinthians 9:15).