Offer to God thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. (Psalm 50:14-15)

Thanksgiving Is To God

The psalmist Asaph declares the Lord, the Mighty One, is God and has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets to hear His words. There is nothing in the world that does not belong to the Lord as the heavens declare the righteousness of God who Himself is Judge. His power created all that is in the world. There is nothing done on earth that God is not aware of and who does not see and hear and know. Nothing is hidden from the presence of the Lord. For the wicked, this knowledge is too awesome for them to consider. The saints of the Lord will find joy in the care of the Lord.

A spirit of thanksgiving comes from those who acknowledge the omnipotence of the Lord God as a blessing. God demands sacrifice but not that He should eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats. He desires the offerings of thanksgiving from hearts that submit to His will. Obedience is the evidence of man’s dependence on the blessings of the Divine. The sun and moon rise and set by the will of the Creator. Rain nourishes the earth according to the divine pattern of creation. Life is a blessing from God. The food that is prepared comes from the hand of a benevolent God. There is nothing man possesses that does not come from the hand of the Lord, the Mighty One.

Thanksgiving is a time of family, food, and fellowship. There are many things to be thankful for in the abundance of what God has provided. While men established the holiday of Thanksgiving, the spirit of thanksgiving has been the desire of the Lord since the beginning of time. God wants to have a relationship with His creation. Sin separated God from man and sadly, most men continue to stay away from the only true thanksgiving in this life. True thanksgiving is when the heart of submission offers to God thanksgiving. The blessings of life are not to be received because of the wisdom of men, the frugal financial prowess of self-centered hearts, or the unthankful spirits of men who deny God. Everything in this world is established through the will of God and every purpose of this expansive universe serves to the glory of God. If there is anything to be thankful for: it is God.

Glory belongs to the one who gives the blessings. Thanksgiving can become a time of remembering all that God has done. There is nothing man can brag about that is original with him. Everything comes from the creative blessing of God. Life is a gift from God. The food consumed in significant quantities at Thanksgiving comes from the bountiful hand of the Great Provider. Homes, possessions, wealth, health, and every essential part of life pour from the throne of the benevolent God who gives to all men the same hours of the day. If there is one thing that must be central to the spirit of the holiday Thanksgiving, it is the need to offer to God thanksgiving and keep the vows made to the Most High. Then, when trouble comes, and the heart calls upon the Lord, He will hear and He will answer. Be thankful. Rejoice. Enjoy. Pray. Fellowship. Offer to God true thanksgiving for all the abundant blessings from above. And above all things, thank God for Jesus Christ.