The Power of Thanksgiving

CALL TO PRAYER 

Date: 17.12.2024

Title: The Power of Thanksgiving 

By: Daniel Peter

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Th 5:18 KJV)

How powerful is Thanksgiving? To help us see, I will share a story. There was a woman who was mentally deranged: The type that lives on the street and eats from waste bins. At a time her situation became very bad. However, in her state of pain, she was heard thanking God. Immediately she did so, she was healed of her mental illness. Her healing was witnessed by a Christian woman who shared the story in an article that I read some years ago.

The power of thanksgiving cannot be overemphasized; some of the greatest miracles Jesus Christ performed were done after he thanked God (Matthew 15:34, John 11:42). There are lots of reasons for us to be thankful to God, as the best things of life are already available to us for free (our salvation, hope for tomorrow, the air we breathe and much more). Despite this, many people find it hard to be thankful during seasons of hardness. It is easy to be thankful when everything is working well, but it is much more an act of faith when we decide to thank God in situations that are contrary to our expectations. How can this be attained?

To be thankful despite your situation, the first thing you need to know is that God loves you. It’s easy to doubt the love of God when things are bad, but having confidence in His love will help you to believe that He allowed what you are enduring for your good (Romans 8:28). To help us gain this confidence in His love, we consider the cross: He sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins in a time we were most unworthy so we can have access to our inheritance in Him (Romans 5:8, Acts 20:32 ). If He gave us His son when we were far from Him, what else will He not freely give us? If He decides to keep certain things from us for a season, we can be sure it’s for our overall good. Therefore, thanking God at such times is a sign that we trust in Him.

Another thing we need to know that will help us to be thankful is to see contrary situations as opportunities to prove our love for Him and to attract His power. Apostle Paul understood this mystery very well that He stated in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that he will glory in His infirmities that the power of God will rest upon Him. To understand how this works, we need to know that God is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18); He pays close attention to your thoughts, your words, and your attitude toward Him in the time of your pain. When He sees that you glorify Him by thanksgiving despite your pain, He pours more of Himself into you, making His power evident in your life. Again, it’s easy to say I love God when things are fine, but your love for God is proven true when you still choose to glorify Him when things are bad.

Furthermore, knowing that the hardness you are experiencing is not unique to you alone (1 Peter 5:9) and that your story of victory over the situation will help encourage other people in any situation (2 Corinthians 1:4) will give you a broader picture of things, which in turn will help you to be thankful.

Prayer Point:

Let’s ask God to help believers all over the world to see Him in their situation, and He should help us all to be thankful no matter the situation.

Repost: 24.04.2021