Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from me and my family to you and yours! Here are some scriptures on thankfulness and some self-reflection questions that can help you cultivate an attitude of gratitude. (All scriptures quoted are from the New American Standard Bible.)

 

“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”—1 Thessalonians 5:18

In the midst of your joys and sorrows, hopes and fears, what can you choose to remember about the Lord and His promises toward you?

 

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all.”—Philippians 1:3-4

Who has the Lord placed in your life as a blessing? Whom can you thank Him for this Thanksgiving?

 

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”—James 1:17

What gifts can you thank the Lord for this holiday season?

 

“Be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”—Colossians 3:15-16

How can you focus your mind to be thankful? What can you read from God’s Word? What Christian songs can you listen to and sing? How can you praise God today?

 

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples.”—1 Chronicles 16:8

Will you thank the Lord by telling others what He has done in your life?

 

“O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”—1 Chronicles 16:24

How have you experienced the Lord’s lovingkindness (His covenant love, steadfast and merciful) in your life? Will you thank Him for His faithful goodness today?

 

“I will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever.”—Psalm 45:17

What can you tell the next generation—especially those in your own family—about the character, nature, and ways of God? How can you inspire the next generation to thank God?

 

“Willingly I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good.”—Psalm 54:6

How can you set aside your desires and obey God out of a thankful heart?

 

“I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever.”—Psalm 86:12

How might the Lord want to be glorified (put on display) in your life? Will you thank Him with all your heart, all you are, by allowing Him to do that?

 

“With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord; and in the midst of many I will praise Him.”—Psalm 109:30

What can you say as a public witness of thankfulness to God?

 

“Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart, in the company of the upright and in the assembly.”—Psalm 111:1

Are you thanking God by assembling and praising Him with other believers?

 

“I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.”—Psalm 139:14

Will you thank the Lord because He made you, and because you are designed perfectly by Him?

 

“Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.”—Psalm 140:13

Will you thank the Lord for His constant presence in your life?

 

“Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name; the righteous will surround me, for You will deal bountifully with me.”—Psalm 142:7

Will you thank the Lord for those things He has delivered you from?

 

“To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for You have given me wisdom and power.”—Daniel 2:23

How has the Lord provided wisdom and power in your life? Will you thank Him for them?

 

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”—Romans 7:25

Will you thank the Lord for the gift of His Son Jesus, who died that you might have life, and have it in abundance?

 

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”—2 Corinthians 2:14

Will you thank the Lord for the victory He gives us every day in Jesus? Will you thank the Lord by cooperating with His purpose for your life—to spread the beautiful scent of Jesus wherever you go?

 

May the Lord bless you, and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26) this Thanksgiving season and always!

Question:    What would like to thank the Lord for this Thanksgiving? Comment at the link below.

 

Being Thankful for Not Having Enough

People often look at Thanksgiving as a time to express gratitude for what they have. Although this is a wonderful tradition and practice, I have felt led in the past few weeks to be thankful for what I have not had.

I have been realizing that the empty places in life, the situations where something is lacking, those are the exact places where the Lord can show up and give us the greatest gift of all . . . revelations about Himself.

My son Patrick and I wrote a book entitled, “Optimism for Autism.” It shares our life story of discovering exactly that, and it offers others the opportunity to look at their own lives and uncover the same truth: God is not part of our lives. He IS our life.

In the book, I mention, “I don’t think God gave us an autistic son because we could handle it. I think He gave us this precious child because we couldn’t. There are things in life that are simply beyond us, and that’s where we meet God.”

The same holds true for your situation. Wherever you find yourself today and whatever is lacking, your Father in heaven wants to meet you there and reveal a special part of Himself to you. The empty places offer us the special gift of knowing Him better and loving Him more.

He wants us to know Him, believe Him, and understand that He is God (Isaiah 43:10). We have a special opportunity to do just that in the places where our own resources and abilities fall short.

With that in mind, I wrote the following piece about what “I Would Not Have Known” if I had not experienced the places of lacking in my life:

I Would Not Have Known

I would not have known the Lord as the God of all comfort unless I had needed comforting.

I would not have known the Lord as my strength, unless I had felt weak and unable.

I would not have known the Lord’s presence, unless I had felt alone.

I would not have known the Lord’s power, unless I had felt powerless.

I would not have known the Lord’s faithfulness, unless I had needed Someone to walk with me through the valley.

I would not have known the Lord’s lovingkindness, unless I had needed love, affection, and commitment.

I would not have known the Lord’s wisdom, unless I had not known what to do.

I would not have known the Lord’s grace, unless I had been in a place where I did not deserve it.

I would not have known the Lord’s truth, unless my own wisdom failed me.

I would not have known the blessings of God, unless I had been given the opportunity to trust Him in the most difficult of places.

Maybe this Thanksgiving you could make your own list of what you would not have known.

We can choose to thank God for what we have and for what we don’t have, because He has blessings for us in both places . . . and HE is the greatest treasure of all.

Question: What has the Lord revealed to you about Himself in the places of lacking in your life? Comment at the link below.

Visit Susan’s website: susanjaneking.com

Susan Jane King