What does the bible talks about thanksgiving, what are the different prayers of thanking God.
This article is an explanation of the different types of thanksgiving prayers for appreciating God for his faithfulness.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 1:3
When we look around and see what the Lord has done for us, we can only give thanks. In His love for us, He gives us what we need without even having to ask Him; He fills us with all kinds of blessings in Jesus Christ.
Thanking the Lord must always be our attitude of heart, a permanent exercise to which we must harness ourselves. Thanksgiving is the part of a grateful heart for all the works of the Lord in our life; it is a voluntary sacrifice, an offering of peace. And we must know that the only offering that the Lord accepts is that of our body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12: 1-2).
In Psalm 65, David adopted an attitude of gratitude; he recognizes that the Lord listens to the prayer we address to Him. May the Lord deliver us from all our evils and be worthy of our full attention by His mighty hand. These are not complaints in this Psalm nor dangerous prayers against adversaries; it is about becoming aware of the goodness of God in one’s life. He remembered that the Lord is benevolent and that this has nothing to do with the current events of life, not even his behavior: the Lord is benevolent yesterday, today, and in perpetuity.
David is in a good position to speak of God’s faithfulness. The Bible tells us about the journey of this man (described as man according to the heart of God) who was strongly attached to the Lord and who even despite his errors did not move away from Him.
David found a refuge, a fortress, a safe shelter; he has found a rock in the Lord, on which he has built his life. It all came to the fact that David recognized the value of thanksgiving and saw the impact it can have in the life of a child of God.
He experienced the benevolence of God; he has seen the immense work of His hands and is reassured that nothing is impossible for Him.
Psalm 103: 1-2 My soul, bless the Lord! May everything in me bless His Holy Name! My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget any of His blessings.
Sometimes we forget what the Lord has accomplished in our lives and focus more on what we do not yet have but want. But after this Psalm, David reminds us of His blessings. It is the Lord who heals all our diseases. He forgives our faults and does not punish us according to the gravity of our mistakes.
Full of kindness and filled with compassion towards us, He saved us by the precious blood of the Lamb by erasing for eternity the acts which condemned us. It keeps us from falling into the abyss; He delivers our life from the pit every day. Yahweh is strong and mighty in battle; He neither gets tired nor bored; He renews the strength of those who trust in Him.
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Through this Psalm, we also see how much the Lord loves us; He surrounds us with His arms of love and covers us with tenderness. His overflowing love for us is unconditional, and nothing can separate us from it.
It is He who leads all the battles for us and delivers us from all our ills. We didn’t have to worry, yes, because He controls everything: He is the master of circumstances.
Going further in Luke 17: 11-19, we see the story of the ten lepers who came to the Lord for healing. And going according to the Lord’s instructions, they were all healed. But surprisingly, only one returns to say thank you; only one in ten.
Luke 17: 16-18 He fell facedown at the feet of Jesus and gave Him thanks, he was a Samaritan. Jesus spoke up and said, Haven’t the ten been cleansed? But the other nine, where are they? Was there only this stranger to come back and give glory to God?
We often behave like the other nine, we leave without ever coming back to say thank you and give glory to God. We, too often and very early on, forget all the good God does for us. We come to claim, and yes, every time we come before Him, we only ask, complain, and want more.
Thanksgiving rejoices the heart of the Lord because He (the Lord) sees there, no longer a spiritual baby but someone who becomes aware of all the good things that He does for him. Through thanksgiving, we express our heartfelt gratitude to the Lord and further confirm our commitment to Him (Psalm 65: 2). Thanksgiving in the daily walk reflects the state of a heart which is aware that it lives only by the mercy of the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 5: 17-18 Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances, give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus towards you.
Here we see the exhortation of the apostle Paul. What the Lord wants from us is that we continually give thanks to Him. No matter the circumstances, He takes pleasure in our thanksgiving, and our prayers must take this turn: we must pause to give thanks to God. Take time apart to do it well.
Whether our day has been calm or rough, whether we have had our prayers answered or not, we should give thanks because if we look around us and think about it, we will realize that the blessings of the Lord never run dry, and may His faithfulness not fail in the day of distress.
Philippians 4: 6b In all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make known to God your requests.
To make our needs known to God, it must be done with thanksgiving. It would be as if we came to claim goods from the Lord while He decides to give us everything out of love. Despite our sinful state, we must show Him gratitude for all the wonders He has done in our lives and continues to do for us.
Psalms 50:23 He who in sacrifice offers gratitude glorifies Me. And to him who watches his way, I will cause the salvation of God to be contemplated.
Our thanksgiving is pleasing to God when it comes from deep within us when it really expresses how we feel about His wonders. If we are forgetful about our obligations in this fast-paced world, we can write them down somewhere. Let us write down all the blessings of our God and take them from time to time to remind ourselves of them and to thank Him as it should be. May His praise never fade from our lips, for His goodness is better than life.
