God’s Word makes it absolutely clear that we’re called to be thanks-givers. In fact, there are more commands in the Bible to praise, rejoice, and give thanks than there are about anything else. This tells us two things: 1) God enjoys receiving thanks and praise for His goodness. The psalmist wrote: ‘I will praise God in a song and will honour him by giving thanks. That will please the LORD more than offering him cattle’ (Psalm 69:30-31 NCV). 2) He wants us to be happy. He repeats His commands to be joyful, and to thank and praise Him more often than any of the ‘thou shalt nots’. This doesn’t mean His commands to not do something are less important, but shows that He wants joy to be prominent in our minds. Even David, a man after God’s own heart, needed to remind himself to give thanks. He wrote: ‘Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me’ (Psalm 103:2 NLT). It’s not always easy to remember to give thanks, especially when we’re going through difficult times. But even when circumstances don’t look good to us, God can completely turn them around. When Jonah was in the belly of a whale, he remembered the importance of giving thanks: ‘I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and he answered me…I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfil all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone’ (Jonah 2:2, 9 NLT). So let’s make a habit of ‘always giving thanks to God the Father for everything’ (Ephesians 5:20 NIV), and develop an attitude of gratitude.

What Now?

Whenever you feel ungrateful, or just don’t feel like praising God, stop and read David’s ‘benefit list’ in Psalm 103.