“{I}n everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18; all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible).

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His faithfulness is everlasting” (1 Chronicles 16:34).

“Offer God a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And pay your vows to the Most High” (Psalms 50:14).

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

“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. In the exercise of His will He gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures” (James 1:17-18).

The Bible mentions gratitude 157 times, according to one source. Actual counts may vary depending on which Bible translation you read. Whatever the exact number, gratitude is an important Christian virtue.

It should be an integral part of our prayers. We should thank God for the prayer requests He has already answered while we bring our current needs to Him. We should thank Him for every good and perfect gift. Even when things are not going well, we can thank Him that He is with us and will bring us through it.

In America, we celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. It is easy to lose “thanks to God” during our celebration, which focuses on food, family, friends, and football. Let us take time today to thank God for His love, presence, and blessings.

“Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.
“We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.
“We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.
“We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.
“Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.
“Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen” (from The Book of Common Prayer).

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.