Giving Thanks!

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.   Psalm 9:1

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you celebrate it with family and friends? Did you serve the needy? What did you give thanks for? Every year in the United States we set aside the fourth Thursday of November to celebrate Thanksgiving.  President Abraham Lincoln was the first US president to officially declare the festival as the last Thursday in November. The date was set in stone by  President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1939 and approved     by Congress in 1941.

However, Christians don’t need a specific date to give thanks. We should be giving thanks to our God every day. In the passage, Psalm 9:1, David is thanking God for      Israel’s victory over other nations who had attacked   them. This passage is a reminder to us to give thanks to the victories God has given us in our own lives. Even in the midst of what we may see as defeats, we can give God thanks during our darkest hour. James understood this well; “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete,    lacking in nothing (James 1:1-4)”. Being thankful to God does not depend on how we feel or our circumstances.

Next time you have trouble thanking God start with your salvation and then recount all of His wonderful deeds He has done in your life.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark