Encouragement
Give Thanks! (Psalm 136:1)
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
There is power in giving thanks to God! He loves a thankful heart and delights in those who remember His goodness and give Him praise. In this one verse of Psalm 136, we have two good reasons why we can be grateful to our God. The first is that He is good and the second is that He is merciful and patient with us His children.
We serve a God whose nature is Goodness. He is the perfect Father and the expression of His love and kindness to us far exceeds any earthly parent’s. He is always good, desiring the best for His kids and seeking to give it to them. He loves us so much that He sacrificed His Son for us, that whoever believes in Him has eternal life. The Lord is good and His love, His mercy are eternal!
When we are thankful for what God has done, we open ourselves for the “more” that He has for us. We often tend to focus on something we do not have or what is still to come, but God would have us look at what we do have. When Jesus held a few loaves and a few little fishes in His hands, He did not despise them and say “this is not enough”! Instead, He lifted them up to Heaven and gave thanks to the Father (John 6:11). He lifted His eyes to the realm in which there is no shortage, the place from which our supply comes. There is no lack in our Lord, and when we look to Him, acknowledging His goodness and graciousness in our lives, and we give Him sincere thanks, we unlock the “more” that is waiting to be released and received.
Thankfulness can be a key to overcoming discouragement, depression and disappointment. There is always something we can thank God for, even in a challenging or painful situation, and we could choose to see a glass half full and be thankful for it, instead of as half empty. When we thank God for the “half full” we are opening the way to have our glass filled up. Sincere thankfulness brings breakthrough each time, and it is also an expression of our trust in God. When we give thanks for what we have begun to see happen, or for what we already have, we are declaring our trust in God and our belief in His goodness and His enduring love. We are expressing the faith that He will always complete what He begins. (Philippians 1:6). When I am thankful to God, it always feels like sunshine (or Sonshine!) suddenly breaks through into darkness. He releases a peace and joy into my heart which picks me up and makes me even more thankful! Thankfulness has an exponential effect on everything else, and if we could cultivate it as a way of life, we could begin to see many things completely transformed, hallelujah!
“My child, I love to see the smile upon your face. I love to hear you thank Me for My goodness and My grace. Each time you lift your eyes to Me and thank Me, you touch My heart. You make Me want to bless you more. When you are thankful and you acknowledge Me for My goodness in your life, you speak the language of heaven. You begin to mobilize angels to bring you further into My plans and heavenly purposes for your life. When you thank Me precious one, I know that you see the value in each thing I have done for you, and that My love and kindness are precious to you. It warms My heart. It makes Me thankful for you! Please know that there is nothing I will hold back from you, My child, nothing you could need that I would not give to you. I want you completely whole and free. I want to see you prospering and bearing fruit abundantly. I want to see you walking in everything I died for you to be. There is more in store when you choose to live your life in thankfulness to Me. I love your thankful heart dear child and I love you everlastingly!”
Dear friend, you may be feeling like there is not much that you could thank God for right now, but please permit me to say that there is. You are alive and reading this message. He has chosen you and called you near through the precious blood of Jesus, and He has some awesome plans for you. He is your strength and your shield and He has brought you through many difficult times to testify to His grace. There is no good thing He would withhold from you (Psalm 84:11). You are the perfect candidate for an amazing miracle because God is so good and His love for you is unending! I pray that the Holy Spirit will help you to see God’s goodness in your life, and that you will step into a new season of thankfulness, a season of unending grace, and unceasing praise. Start expecting Goodness, and start thanking the Lord. He is good and His love endures forever!
Minoli Haththotuwa, 27 November 2016
www.risingonwings.org
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