Gratitude to God is one of the most important attitudes for a healthy outlook on life. It clarifies a lot when we clearly see how indebted we are to God. It builds within us a greater sense of confidence in God and greater assurance for the future. When we recognise the pattern of God’s faithfulness in the past, we can feel more confident of seeing this continue into the future. God has done, and continues to do, more than you recognise. We need to be intentional about recognising this and we must allow ourselves to feel a deep sense of indebtedness to God. Debt usually carries negative connotations for us because, when we are in financial debt to someone, we feel bound to that person or institution. But while it may feel like a negative thing to be bound to a money-lender, it is a great thing to feel bound to God. We are all very indebted to God. Recognising this will create the kind of relational bond that will prevent us from straying from God. It was for this reason that God built constant celebrations of his past acts into the life of Israel (the Passover, the feast of unleavened bread, of first fruits, Pentecost, the feast tabernacles etc.). God wanted Israel to be regularly reminded of their indebtedness to him so that they would forever remain at his side. There were also sacrifices prescribed for expressing thanks to God. In Psalm 116 the psalmist not only expresses verbal thanks but speaks of bringing ‘thank offerings’ to God. Don’t just say ‘thank-you’ to God, do something to express that.
Give thanks to God and reflect on how you can express that practically.
Read Psalm 116.
