Thanksgiving: Giving the Lord Thanks
Every breath, every mercy, and every sunrise is a reminder: the Giver is greater than the gift.
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Thanksgiving is more than a holiday to gorge ourselves on food (though I so very much love to do so). Thanksgiving is a reminder of the thankfulness God desires every day of the year. The world sets aside one Thursday in November to count blessings, but the believer is called to live in thanksgiving as a way of life. Gratitude isn’t seasonal, it’s spiritual.
True thankfulness doesn’t depend on what’s on the table, but Who sits on the throne. When Paul wrote those words, “In every thing give thanks,” he wasn’t seated at a feast. He was writing from hardship. That’s what makes Christian gratitude different: it’s not built on comfort but on Christ.
We often thank God after the blessing, but true faith thanks Him before it. It praises Him in the dark for what He’s yet to reveal. Job, surrounded by loss, could still say:
“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” — Job 1:21
Gratitude isn’t denying the pain, it’s declaring God’s goodness in spite of it. When you give thanks, you stop counting what’s missing and start remembering what’s been given.
Philippians 4:6–7 says:
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Gratitude changes prayer from a list of demands into an act of worship. It replaces anxiety with peace. When you cultivate thanksgiving, bitterness has no room to grow. Gratitude turns envy into worship and worry into trust.
Anyone can give thanks in abundance. The true test is whether you’ll give thanks in adversity. Israel sang praises after the Red Sea parted but God wanted a people who could sing before it did.
It’s easy to say, “God is good” when the harvest is full. It’s harder when the fields are barren, the job is uncertain, or the prayer is unanswered. Yet, those are the moments when thanksgiving becomes a sacrifice and a choice that honors God most. Psalm 50:23 says:
“Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me.”
We thank God for big things but forget the daily mercies that quietly sustain us. The breath in our lungs. The sunrise we didn’t earn. The verse that comforted us when no one else could. Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds us:
“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
If we only thanked God for what we noticed, how much of His goodness would go unmentioned? Thanksgiving opens our eyes to how much grace we’ve been missing. When the plates are cleared and the day is done, let gratitude remain. The leftovers of Thanksgiving shouldn’t just fill the fridge, they should fill the heart.
Perhaps, that is corny but I’m in a corny mood this Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving!
Personal Reflection
As I look back over this year, I see a mix of open doors and closed ones, answered prayers and quiet lessons that only came through pain. It has been a growing year for me. God has taught me to be grateful not only for what He’s given, but for what He’s taken away.
There were moments I prayed for things that didn’t happen, relationships that didn’t unfold the way I hoped, and plans that changed quickly. At the time, I didn’t understand why but now I see traces of His mercy even in what happened. Some goodbyes were painful, but they cleared space for deeper faith. Some detours led to places I never would have chosen, but where I saw God’s hand more clearly than ever.
I’ve also been blessed beyond measure. I’ve traveled more than I ever expected to this year, carrying God’s Word into places I’d only ever dreamed of visiting. I’ve met new friends who feel like family, and I’ve seen old friends remain steadfast through every season. Everything I have experienced this year has played a part in shaping who I am becoming in Christ.
So this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for everything from the Lord. I’m thankful for the prayers answered and the ones still waiting. I’m thankful for the chapters closed and the new ones beginning. Because through it all, God has been faithful and that’s reason enough to give thanks.