An Atmosphere Of Thanks

An Atmosphere of Thanks

Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the LORD Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:16-17

FOR MANY PEOPLE, gratitude seems like an afterthought, a reaction to something good rather than a prediction of it. Someone gives us a gift or does something nice, and we say thank you in response. But as is often the case, the Kingdom of God switches our expected order around. In the Kingdom, gratitude is meant to be a continual attitude of the heart and the natural environment we live in. We don’t just say thank you for what God has done. We say thank you for who he is—all the time.

Sometimes we do thank God in advance because we know he is faithful and keeps his word. Perhaps this is why Paul told the Philippians to fill their requests with gratitude (Philippians 4:6). It may come as a surprise, but we’re much more likely to receive blessings of fulfillment from God by thanking him than we are by asking for them. He invites our prayer requests, of course, but the climate of the heart is critical to what those prayers accomplish. If we’re able to thank God ahead of time for what he is going to do—even if we don’t know exactly what that will look like—we have come to a place of trust that delights him. And his delight provokes all sorts of wonderful, encouraging responses.

Whatever it takes, cultivate gratitude. Let your days be filled with breaths of gratitude to God for whatever he has given you. If you have trouble thinking of things to be thankful for, begin with the fact that you are breathing, with the beauty around you, with the forgiveness he offers, and let your list build from there. Choose to focus on blessings, privileges, and even the basics of life. The world is permeated with his goodness, if you have eyes to see it. So is your life. Choose which eyes to see with, and let gratitude become your constant environment. God fills that environment—and our prayers—with his presence.

Gratitude is not only the memory but the homage of the heart—rendered to God for his goodness.