There are many verses within the Bible that urge us to praise the Lord and thank Him at all times. Why? Because first of all, He is so worthy! We have everything to be thankful for. The breath we breathe, the fact that we wake up to a fresh day every single morning… We have the good God who never stops working on our behalf and bringing good things to the people He loves.
Here are two keys that we receive when we simply remember to have a thankful heart:
1. Closeness with the heart of God
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Giving thanks to God and recognizing His goodness turns our attention to His face, where He is always looking and waiting for us to turn and come closer to Him. It is so pleasing to Him and it shifts our perspective in a moment.
When we thank Him, we are pulling ourselves out of the rut we’ve been in and it causes us to search for the good. We get to recognize the beautiful things all around us and look to The Father and reconnect with Him.
The opposite of thanking is grumbling, complaining and closing your heart off from hope. Thankfulness is not ignoring the negative things in life, but it is simply the choice to elevate the good and pay attention to what God is doing instead of steeping your mind in what you don’t see happening around you.
2. Access To His Presence
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (Psalm 100:4-5 NKJV).
Thanksgiving opens the floodgates of Heaven, where God dwells within every praise you bring to Him. Imagine entering into the very place where the One who gives us every blessing, every ounce of love and courage, and sitting with Him, talking and building relationship. What an incredible invitation!
Being grateful will help us to understand and acknowledge the fact that we have so much to be thankful for. Big or little, it all matters and we have the beautiful chance to give God all the Glory. It helps us to fix our eyes on the truth and focus on the goodness of God, bringing attention to all of the blessings that he has poured out on us.
Thanking God is worship.