May 1, 2024

Let Us Give Thanks

SeekingHimLogoCome let us sing for joy to the LORD;
Let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before Him with thanksgiving
And extol Him with music and song.
For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.
Psalms 95:1-3

Oh, how these verses call us to worship God and to worship Him with joy!  At a time of year when one pauses to think of all the things, the people, and the blessings we are to be thankful for in our lives, there should always be a response of thankfulness in our hearts for our great God and for Who He is in our lives DAILY.  I don’t need a date on the calendar to remind me to be thankful for the Presence of God in my life!  I hope you don’t either because it simply should be an automatic response in your heart if you believe in Him.

Each day is a gift and every day is flooded with reminders of His Presence—from a sunrise and chirping birds to hugs from loved ones that He brings into our lives to truths from His Word springing forth on every page we read. Let us at least bookend our days with prayers to God in thankfulness, just as sure as the sun rises and sets. Let us hug our loved ones with great gratitude to Him for He has taught us to love unconditionally and to be thankful for every moment we have with each of them. And let us never neglect reading His Word to receive the treasures He has waiting for us each day.

On any given day, let our hearts fill with joy! For under the surface of all that we deal with, each day is an abiding joy in a wonderful and Sovereign Lord Who is majestic as the One and Only Almighty King and is also personal and loving to understand our heart cries, prayers, and daily concerns! He is the Rock of our salvation and our Strength!

As our eyes open at the beginning of a new day, let us give thanks. On a quiet, not-much-going-on day, let us give thanks. As the hectic days come along and may multiply during the holiday season, let us give thanks. As we look around at God’s beautiful, exquisite creation that so reminds us of Him each day, let us give thanks. When we, who are believers, remember that He willingly and sacrificially took away our sins at the Cross and rose again to be a living Savior and Lord, let us give thanks. When He holds us in the valleys and shares with us in the mountaintop experiences, let us give thanks. When we are reminded of how much He loves us, let us give thanks. And before we close our eyes at each day’s end, let us give thanks.

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Dear Lord,
Let there be a song of joy in our hearts at all times. And when we open our mouths to worship You in song, let us all sing with joy and thanksgiving for You are our great God and King like no other! We love, adore, and praise You! Each day, let us come to You with thanksgiving.  In Jesus’ precious Name we pray,
Amen.

Thanksgiving

SeekingHimLogo

O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: because His mercy endureth forever.
I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.
Psalm 118:5

We are about to enter that ever-so-busy and often hectic season—the holiday season.  It is hard to believe that the holiday season is already back.  It seems like we just rung in the New Year. Yet, here we are again.  Life goes on.  Now back to the holiday season.  In our family you could pretty much say that the holiday season starts for us at Halloween, even though it is a holiday.  There is one major important holiday between Halloween and Christmas that is possibly losing its footing in this modern era—Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is the time to give thanks to the Lord for the many blessings that He has given us through the year and throughout our lives.  The Pilgrims started the holiday for this very reason. They were thankful that the Lord had brought them across the Atlantic Ocean safely.  They were thankful for the blessings that the Lord had given.  They were thankful for the mercy the Lord showed them in helping them survive that first year in their new land.

Noah did something similar when he left the ark:

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal
and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Genesis 8:20

 Noah gave thanks to the Lord for choosing him and his family to survive the great flood that covered the earth and caused massive destruction. He gives thanks by building the altar and sacrificing (which was the norm in Noah’s time) animals to the Lord.  The Lord saw this, and He decided not to destroy the earth with water again.  He blessed Noah and his family from then on.

Just as Noah and the Pilgrims gave thanks to God for their survival and their provisions, we should, too.  We should not just observe it in November, but we should give thanks every day for the blessings that God has given us.  Being thankful for God’s love and standing with Him will bring us many blessing through our lives.

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 Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your blessings.  Thank You for giving us the life we have. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to bring us back to You.  In Jesus name, Amen.