Giving Thanks

 By Hollie Timson

     Thankfulness can sometimes feel like a checklist or a chore, as a person bows their head in prayer and lists off the things that come to mind that God has done for them. In fact, there are times in every person’s life when the only time they pray is to ask God for a desired outcome. Promises will be made in exchange for God fulfilling the desired outcome, and if surveyed, few rarely keep those promises. Thankfulness is inherently expressed in many ways, whether it be word-of-mouth or an act of service, but what does it mean to have a thankful heart?

     A thankful heart begins with surrender. One must be faithful to surrender to God‘s will, accepting that His timing and His outcomes are needed the most. While the act of surrender can often feel daunting or foolish, it brings about a type of liberation for the person who is willing to release everything into God‘s hands.

     In the Lord‘s Prayer, in Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus is instructing believers to pray in a specific manner, which first acknowledges God’s authority, and secondly moves into a list of practices within daily life that help to develop a thankful heart. While preparing to pray alone on the Mount of Olives in Luke 22:39-46, Jesus instructs the disciples to pray so that they wouldn’t fall into temptation. He then ventures off alone to pray to the Heavenly Father, demonstrating His humanity by asking, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me…” Jesus could have stopped there and proposed a myriad of works that He would do in exchange for God removing the cup (His arrest and death), but praise the Lord, He didn’t do that! Instead, He completely surrendered His feelings, fears, physical body, and more, acknowledging the power that God has over the lives of those He loves. 

     Jesus’s surrender was more than eight words, “…nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done.” It was a release of control over the entire situation, giving God the authority over His life, no matter the outcome! 

     Similarly, someone with a thankful heart consistently acknowledges God’s authority. They testify of the many ways they have seen His power throughout their life. A person with a thankful heart asks God for help to accomplish the things God has instructed them to do or not do, not for an earthly reward, but for a deeper relationship with Jesus. A person with a thankful heart reads the Bible, not just to get through it in a year, but to listen for the Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning behind certain passages, to correct attitude and behavior when necessary, and to reassure the believers of Christ of what is in store for those who have a personal relationship with Jesus. A person with a thankful heart is so deeply rooted in their faith in Jesus Christ that they thank God for the blessings and the trials, for they are Christ-like, and by trusting in God rather than their own understanding, they are content with walking out their faith in God’s will. 

     As the Thanksgiving season approaches, perhaps ask yourself how can I cultivate a more thankful heart and how can I adjust my attitude or routine to be a witness for Christ, so that I am fully surrendered to God’s will in my life?