As we pause this week to give thanks, are we remembering to give thanks to our Creator and Sustainer of life?
We sit at the Thanksgiving table and are thankful for our family, friends, jobs and whatever else is on your list, but do you really stop to give thanks for your Heavenly Father? I’m not talking about saying, “I am thankful for God,” everyone does that. Are you truly thanking Him for His attributes, who He is and what He does?
Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Are we truly thankful? Do we truly bless His name? I think we say we are grateful to God, but do we meditate on His goodness? “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (Ps. 100:5). Do we think about His mercy or do we simply give a short Thanksgiving thanks and move on?
God is good! Our Father is everlasting! Do we thank and praise Him for our job, marriage or ministry? Are we appreciative of how He assists us through the day and orchestrates our steps? Do we thank Him for the different seasons of weather, for the all the different shades of green and types of trees He created for us? He could have created one tree, but He chose to give us a variety. Do we thank Him for the freedom to worship Him and assemble together for those of us who live in countries where we have freedom of religion?
I think when it comes to praising and thanking God, we can slide by and do a quick job at praising Him. When we look at enter into His gates with thanksgiving, the praise of our lips with words should go forth first. As a society we don’t know how to give praise for five minutes continually. We may give someone a sentence or two of thanks and appreciation, but we don’t really build up that person and edify them.
The Bible instructs us to minister unto the Lord. Ministering unto the Lord is more than giving Him a simple lip service thanks. Are we grateful, sure, but doesn’t He deserve us to specifically think and meditate on what we are grateful for? Isn’t He worthy of us to thank Him until we truly run out of words?
Where would we be without our Heavenly Father? He created us and sustained us in our mother’s womb. He breathed the very breath of life into us. He continually protects us and keeps us from harm. He truly never lets us down! As you go into Thanksgiving, take some time either early in the morning or late after your festivities have ended and meditate and truly think about who your Father is and what attributes He has.
Spend time with Him and thank Him for who He has made you to become and truly give Him the thanks and praise He so rightfully deserves.
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Kathy DeGraw is the founder of DeGraw Ministries a prophetic healing ministry releasing the love and power of God, igniting people in the prophetic and releasing people from emotional bondage. She travels hosting conferences, teaching schools and evangelistic love tours.  Kathy enjoys writing and is the author of several books that educate, empower and equip people, including A Worship Woven Life, Time to Set the Captives Free, and Flesh, Satan or God. Connect with Kathy at www.degrawministries.org.
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