Christ Sanctuary

Thanksgiving Is More Than a Season

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It has become customary for society to reserve a particular day or season for thanksgiving. Families gather, meals are prepared, people travel great distances, and many pause to identify reasons to be grateful. These are beautiful expressions of appreciation. However, for the believer, thanksgiving should never be restricted to a particular day or season. Thanksgiving should become a way of life and our continual duty to God.

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The Psalmist declares,

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” —Psalm 100:4.

 

This is more than an invitation to attend a celebration. It describes the disposition with which God's people should approach Him. We come acknowledging that He is God, that everything we have ultimately comes from Him, and that His goodness deserves our gratitude. We cannot repay God for His goodness. What price can we place upon life, salvation, protection, forgiveness, grace, another opportunity, or eternal life? We cannot pay Him, but we can only give Him thanks.

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Thanksgiving Is an Outward Expression of a Grateful Heart

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Thanksgiving begins in the heart but should find expression in our lives. We thank God through praise, worship, testimonies, giving, service, obedience, and blessing His holy name. David asked, “What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?” —Psalm 116:12. He continued, “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.” —Psalm 116:17.

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​A thankful person remembers God's benefits. An unthankful heart easily forgets yesterday's deliverance when confronted with today's difficulty. This is why David instructed himself:

​“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” —Psalm 103:2.

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Sometimes we must deliberately remind ourselves of what God has already done. The fact that one prayer remains unanswered does not erase the many prayers He has answered. One present difficulty should not make us forget years of divine provision.

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 Thanksgiving Is an Expression of Faith 

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It is easy to thank God when everything has worked according to our expectations. But biblical thanksgiving reaches deeper. Paul writes:

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“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

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Notice that Scripture does not require us to pretend that everything happening to us is pleasant. Pain remains pain, and loss remains loss. God understands sorrow. Jesus Himself wept at Lazarus' tomb. Nevertheless, thanksgiving declares that our circumstances have not changed who God is. We may choose to become overwhelmed by our losses, feel downcast and sorrowful, repeatedly announce our doom to everyone around us, and remain consumed by pity. God understands our feelings, but remaining continually focused upon despair does not strengthen our faith.

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Faith looks beyond what has happened and asks, “What has God said?” Scripture declares:

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“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”      —Hebrews 11:6.

 

God is looking for faith in Him as we journey through life's challenges.

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​Thank God Even for the Years That Appear Lost

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This becomes particularly important when we consider our theme of Arukah—restoration. God declares:

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“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” — Joel 2:25.

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How can someone thank God when looking at wasted years? Human reasoning may consider it absurd. We naturally thank God when something is recovered, not while it still appears lost. Yet faith can thank God on the strength of His Word before restoration becomes visible.

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Perhaps years were lost through wrong decisions. Maybe opportunities disappeared because of youthful ignorance, disobedience, wrongful actions, unhealthy relationships, poor judgment, or circumstances beyond your control. Perhaps you look backward and wonder, “What would my life have become if I had chosen differently?”

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​You cannot return physically to yesterday and rewrite it. But God says, “I will restore.” What a mighty God!

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If He can restore years, then time itself cannot prevent Him from accomplishing His purpose. We may not understand exactly how God will restore, and restoration does not necessarily mean reproducing every former circumstance exactly as it was. But God can redeem the consequences of yesterday and make the remaining years fruitful beyond what we imagined. Therefore, rather than spending the rest of our lives mourning the years already gone, faith begins thanking God for His promise concerning the years ahead.

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Thanksgiving Before We See the Answer

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We see this principle repeatedly in Scripture. Before Jesus multiplied the loaves, He gave thanks:

“And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples.” — John 6:11.

 

The visible supply was inadequate, but Christ gave thanks before the multitude saw the abundance. At Lazarus' tomb, Jesus declared:

“Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.” — John 11:41.

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Lazarus was still in the grave when Jesus spoke those words. This teaches us something powerful: thanksgiving can precede the visible testimony. Faith does not require the answer to appear before acknowledging God's ability. It rests upon God's character and His Word.

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Job: Thanksgiving, Sacrifice, and Restoration

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Consider Job and his friends. Job suffered devastating losses. His children died, his possessions disappeared, his health deteriorated, and his friends misunderstood his circumstances. Yet at the conclusion of the ordeal, God spoke. The Lord instructed Job's friends:

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“Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you.” — Job 42:8.

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They responded to God's Word with obedience and sacrifice, while Job responded by praying for those who had misjudged him. Then something remarkable happened:

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“And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” —Job 42:10.

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The friends who had been under God's displeasure obeyed His instruction, and Job, who had suffered greatly, obeyed by praying for them. The situation changed when they responded to God's Word rather than remaining controlled by their circumstances. Job could have said, “Why should I pray for them? Look at what I have suffered!” But faith enabled him to obey God beyond his feelings. Obedience redirected the story toward restoration.

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Thanksgiving Changes Our Focus

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This is one of the greatest powers of thanksgiving: it changes our focus from an overwhelming problem to the sovereign power of an overwhelming God. When we constantly rehearse our problems, they become larger in our minds. We see the diagnosis, the financial difficulty, the broken relationship, the lost opportunity, the wasted years, or the unanswered prayer. Thanksgiving does not pretend these things do not exist. Instead, thanksgiving places them beside the greatness of God. The Psalmist declared:

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“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” — Psalm 107:1.

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Our situation may change, but His goodness remains. People may disappoint us, but His mercy remains. Opportunities may disappear, but His sovereignty remains. Therefore, thanksgiving moves us from overwhelming problems to overwhelming joy in God's sovereign power. As Scripture declares:

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“The joy of the LORD is your strength.” — Nehemiah 8:10.

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Thank Him in Your Highs and Lows

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We should therefore learn to thank God in every season.

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• Thank Him when the door opens—and while you are waiting.

• Thank Him when there is abundance—and when resources are limited.

• Thank Him after the healing—and while trusting Him through sickness.

• Thank Him when people understand you—and when you have been misunderstood.

• Thank Him for the years that were fruitful—and entrust to Him the years that appear wasted.

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This is not denial. This is faith.

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Habakkuk demonstrated this kind of confidence:

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“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail... Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” —Habakkuk 3:17–18.

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His joy was not anchored to the harvest. His joy was anchored to God.

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Jesus Christ Is Our Greatest Reason for Thanksgiving

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Above every material blessing, restoration, answered prayer, and earthly testimony stands God's greatest gift—Jesus Christ. Through sin, humanity lost fellowship with God, righteousness, spiritual life, and the hope of eternal glory. Yet God gave His Son for our salvation. Scripture declares:

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“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 15:57.

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Even if God gave us nothing else, salvation through Jesus Christ would remain an eternal reason for thanksgiving. In Him our sins are forgiven. In Him we are reconciled to God. In Him we become new creations. In Him we receive the Holy Spirit. In Him we have hope beyond the grave.

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Therefore, thanksgiving ultimately moves beyond “Thank You, Lord, for what You gave me” to “Thank You, Lord, for giving me Jesus.”

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Conclusion: Be Thankful to God

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What are you facing today?

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• Perhaps you are celebrating a testimony. Be thankful to God.

• Perhaps you are waiting for an answer. Be thankful to God.

• Perhaps you are looking backward at wasted years, wrong decisions, lost opportunities, or painful consequences. Remember His Arukah promise: “I will restore to you the years.” Be thankful to God and trust His Word.

 

Do not allow sorrow to silence your praise. Do not allow present circumstances to determine your understanding of God's goodness. Do not allow what you have lost to make you forget what remains in Christ.

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Your thanksgiving may initially feel like a sacrifice. Scripture speaks of “the sacrifice of praise to God continually” — Hebrews 13:15. Sometimes praise costs something because circumstances appear to contradict what we believe. Yet faith says, “Lord, I do not understand everything happening around me, but I know who You are. I know Your Word. I know Your faithfulness. Therefore, I thank You.”

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Repent of your sins and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today. In Him you will find forgiveness, restoration, peace with God, newness of life, and the hope of eternal glory. Then your greatest testimony will not merely be what God restored around you, but what He restored within you and your relationship with Him through Christ.

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We sincerely appreciate you for honoring the Word of God today. As we await the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us cultivate hearts of continual thanksgiving. In our highs and lows, gains and losses, victories and challenges, let us remember that God remains faithful. Do not surrender your joy to yesterday's losses or today's circumstances. Hold firmly to His Word, believe His promises, and thank Him even as you wait. May the Lord restore the wasted years, turn your challenges into testimonies, fill your heart with overwhelming joy, and give you many reasons to continually declare:

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“Thank You, Lord!”

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Be Thankful to God and may God bless you!
Jesus is Lord!!!

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