True Thanks - The One Year Praying the Promises of God

I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens. . . . Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.

Psalm 50:9, 14-15

What a great promise is contained in this psalm: if we will give God our sincere thanks and trust him in times of trouble, he will rescue us. Whether or not the Israelites had hearts that were truly thankful, they gave a great deal of attention to following the letter of the law with their prescribed sacrifices of bulls and goats. But God saw through their shallow motivations, and he didn’t need their sacrifices for his survival or sustenance. Instead, what he wanted—and still desires from his people—is deep and heartfelt thanks.

God wants gratefulness and praise, which come out of a genuine trust that enables us to be thankful even when circumstances are overwhelming and we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is easy to thank God when things are going according to our plans. But what about when our bank accounts are empty or we have lost our jobs? When our teenagers are out of control, or our spouses have disappointed us?

Whether our circumstances put us in the brightness of sunshine or in the darkness of shadow, we are to bring our thanks to God and proclaim his unfailing love and mercy. We are to get up in the morning thanking him for another day of life and go to bed thanking him for his faithfulness, even when we don’t have the much-longed-for answer to our prayers. As we learn to be grateful in the best of times and the worst of times, we will experience great joy.

Lord, I confess that in difficult times I grumble more than I thank you, and I get stressed rather than look up and practice your presence. Have mercy on me, and fill me with deep thanks, today and every day.

For three things I thank God every day of my life: thanks that he has vouched-safed me knowledge of his works; deep thanks that he has set in my darkness the lamp of faith; deep, deepest thanks that I have another life to look forward to—a life joyous with light and flowers and heavenly song.

Helen Keller(1880–1968), American author