1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 136:1, Psalm 118:1
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.
There are so many Bible verses about gratitude/thankfulness, in both the Old and New Testaments. In fact, many of them are almost exactly the same! 1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 136:1, Psalm 118:1, and probably many others, all say to give thanks to the Lord because He is good and because His love endures forever. Amen!
The concerns of our hearts, whether personal, political, or anything else, can be overwhelming and weigh us down. They have for me lately, at least! I think that’s why God calls us to declare our gratitude, so we can refocus our attention on Him. Of course, I don’t think that we should ignore our concerns or the stress that they cause us. We can take these to Him, but with a heart willing to thank Him despite these burdens, and for any silver linings that they come with.
I love how these verses focus us on being thankful for Him specifically, for who He is and how great His love is. We can be thankful for the things in our lives, good news or hope that we see in the world, and many other things. But sometimes we can’t see these, or they just seem too small compared to our concerns, or we get focused on them instead of Him. I think that’s why it’s so important to be thankful for Him, as a foundation of our gratitude.
This morning, I was listening to this song from Everybody Duck in my car. I think it captures the gratefulness for God’s love that the Scriptures above declare. If you get a chance to listen to it, I hope it helps you as it did me to thank Him for who He is.
Lyrics: Great Affection by Everybody Duck
God of my awakening, I thank You for this day
And master of my breath, I thank You for the life to pray
Oh Jesus light behind my eyes, to you this praise I bring
And keeper of my heartbeat, to you rhythm now I sing
Cause I've been seized by the power of Your great affection
Taken captive by the size and scope of Your amazing love
I'm so incapacitated that You'd send it my direction
You fill me up with Your huge love like a hand inside a glove
Architect of joy, all happiness comes from Your hand
Shepherd of my mind, you take the time to help me understand
O Jesus, light behind my eyes, it was for this I was made
Great composer on my heartstrings, now Your masterpiece is played
Father thank you doesn't seem enough for sending Jesus
And Jesus, no word can suffice to thank You that you died
I praise You, Holy Spirit, for it's Your embrace that frees us
One yet three Your love for me the hope I hold inside, inside
I've been seized by the power of Your great affection
Overwhelmed and overcome by all the love You have to give
Saviour, Your bright shining love light warms my soul with it's reflection
You fill me up with Your huge love giving me the strength to live
About the Author
Jessie is an educator, she currently teaches teens and has taught overseas. She is also a novice writer, with several books in various stages and a (long-neglected) blog about the journeys of women. She is very excited to be a part of the CitySalt blog team. She has been blessed by a few communities of Christian writers that have encouraged her dream. She lives with her trusty sidekick cat, Arwen in the foothills of South Eugene, where she can go hiking within minutes of the sun coming out from behind the clouds.