IT’S THANKSGIVING: WHY SHOULD WE BE THANKFUL?

Psalm 111 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!

I will give thanks to the Lord with (all my heart),

In the company of the upright and in the assembly.

2 Great are the works of the Lord;

They are [c]studied by all who delight in them.

3 [d]Splendid and majestic is His work,

And His righteousness endures forever.

4 He has caused His [e]wonders [f]to be remembered;

The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

5 He has given [g]food to those who [h]fear Him;

He will remember His covenant forever.

6 He has made known to His people the power of His works,

In giving them the inheritance of the nations.

7 The works of His hands are [i]truth and justice;

All His precepts are trustworthy.

8 They are upheld forever and ever;

They are performed in [j]truth and uprightness.

9 He has sent redemption to His people;

He has [k]ordained His covenant forever;

Holy and [l]awesome is His name.

10 The [m]fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

All those who [n]follow His commandments have a good understanding;

His praise endures forever.

After reading that Psalm, the answer to the question “why” should be obvious. But our world is inundated with many things that seek to rob us of our joy, replace our peace with anxiety, and fill our hearts with unthankfulness rather than thankfulness.

On a day set apart to celebrate all the good things we have and the blessings we share, let us remember WHY we should be thankful. Let’s list below the many reasons from that scripture to be thankful :

 And (His) righteousness endures forever.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

5 (He) has given [g]food to those who [h]fear Him;

(He) will remember (His) covenant forever.

6 (He) has made known to (His) people the power of (His) works,

In giving them the inheritance of the nations.

7 The works of (His) hands are [i]truth and justice;

All (His) precepts are trustworthy.

9 (He) has sent redemption to (His) people;

(He) has [k]ordained (His) covenant forever

Right there before our eyes are TEN reasons why we should be thankful regardless of what this world throws at us! All of those ten reasons listed above are only worthy of our consideration, praise, and thanksgiving if the One who has accomplished and is accomplishing those things is sovereign! But what should be the source of our thankful hearts? That’s an entirely different question and, perhaps, a better reason why we should be thankful.

In other words, we can only base our joy and thanksgiving on such things if the One that says such things is the ruler of the universe. If He alone has the right to do whatever He wants without being bound or limited in any way. Our God: our creator, sustainer, and savior, is precisely this- sovereign!

Because He is sovereign, we can trust (despite present circumstances) that His always good purposes will be accomplished. Nothing will hinder Him from fulfilling His Word to us. Besides this, our thankfulness should grow as each day passes by because “we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan” (Ephesians 1:11).