A Psalm for Thanksgiving
“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His loving kindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.”
(Psalm 100)
With Thanksgiving behind us and Advent approaching, it’s not always a joyous and thankful time for everyone. Sometimes life is going so horribly wrong that we can’t even begin to think of even one thing to be thankful for.
But this psalm reminds me of truth that I easily forget.
God is God and no one can compare to His greatness. He stands alone. The Father calls us His very own. We were made by Him and for Him. We are His sheep, dearly and wholly loved by Him. He reminds us of His goodness and faithfulness in our lives. And it doesn’t stop with us. It will continue through all generations.
Now, that is a reason to give thanks!
I can return to this truth regardless of what my circumstances are.
I can return to this truth in spite of what my emotions say.
I can return to this truth despite the voices of others shouting at me.
If this season finds you feeling alone, lonely, and heavyhearted, know the Lord is near. He is everything you need. He is everything you desire.
Give thanks!
Shout joyfully!
Serve with gladness!
Sing praise!
Here is where the Father cultivates a heart of thankfulness in us even when we don’t feel thankful or think we have a reason to be thankful.
Where in your life are you struggling to be thankful?
Leave a Comment
Karina,
So true, what you say, and I have found that I give thanks for Who God is, not for my circumstances. Yes, I can be thankful for the blessings bestowed on me by God, but if it stopped there, then there would be a lot of days that I wouldn’t be grateful. I am grateful not for the things God does or fixes or unravels, but just for WHO He is. I am thankful that He loves me no matter what and has been faithful through all the trials in my life. His presence and goodness is constant, no matter what the circumstances in my life. On a side note, I know many struggle through the holidays. Depression that exists during the year gets ramped up at the holidays. I invite anyone dealing with anxiety, depression, or other mental struggles to a post I wrote today entitled, “Can Christians Truly Have A Mental Illness?”. I know because I’ve struggled with depression at this time of year and it is awful. I hope to offer hope to anyone who is hurting. Karina, thank for the blessing of this scripture this am.
Blessings,
Bev xx
Thank you, Karina and Bev, for sharing and pointing us to Jesus!!!
Bev, can you direct me to your post “Can Christians Truly Have a Mental Illness?” Thank you
Cathy
Cathy,
Certainly…
http://walkingwellwithgod.blogspot.com/
Praying for you sweet sister,
Bev xx
Amen and Hallelujah Bev!!!! That is SO good!
I will definitely check out your post! I totally understand depression during the holidays. It is a real and hard thing. God is with us then and we need community so much to support us and cover us in prayer.
Christians can definitely be oppressed with mental worries, we really have to work to keep it renewed. And I am grateful for the medication that has helped family members.
I love it when Thanksgiving comes early enough in November to allow for this interim time of “not quite Advent.” I’m still hanging onto gratitude while getting my heart ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and, honestly, I wish I could stop the clocks and stay in this space for a very long time. Thanks for keeping thanksgiving truth before me for another day.
Because my husband has gone on to heaven it makes this a hard time of the year but I am very thankful he awaits me there and we will get to spend eternity together! Thanks for remembering this time is hard for some of us.
Sharon, whispering a prayer for you and sending a hug. My heart hurts for you.
Hugs to you, Sharon, and I love your perspective…Heaven is even sweeter, right? Blessings to you in this hard season.
Sharon: Oh yes, and this time is such a short time compared to eternity. It is so good to remember. I still believe God is going to bless you in a special way already here, as you lean on Him. ❤ I pray that you would have a vision to be excited for what He will do next. myself included.
Sharon, I recently lost my husband and I am not looking forward to this holiday season. I hope to gain the same perspective as you have shared, but I will greatly miss him after 43 shared holiday seasons together. Thank you for showing me the way to gratitude for we will share eternity together.
((Hug)) Prayers, Barbara.
Barbara,
Sweet sister I will pray for God’s comfort & peace to come over you mind, body & soul. Sending hugs your way!!!
(((((Hugs)))))
Of course Sharon! Thank you for sharing! Praying for peace and joy to overwhelm your heart this season.
Prayers, Sharon. ((hug))
Sharon,
Sending a hug your way. Sweet sister I will say a prayer for you during this time!
(((((Hugs))))
Yes Michelle! Thank you for sharing!
I want to keep His praise readily on my lips during this season. He is beyond worthy!
Karina, I love this. So simple. So profound. So much TRUTH! A wonderful reminder this morning. Thank you. ❤️
Thank you Christy for reading and sharing!
They may seem like dumb things – ongoing neighbor issues despite me trying to do the Biblical way/doing things to my apartment to make better, sudden plumbing issues in apartment, having to pay for things I didn’t expect, ongoing work stuff – but they add up. I go to God in prayer and ask for help, yet for only 2 instances these past 3 months (one of which has apparently actually done no good with the neighbor issue), he has been seemingly silent. It grows more frustrating, and makes it difficult to be thankful. I know he’s there – it just makes it hard to believe he is looking out for me.
Shelly, I completely understand!
Don’t lose heart. He is with you. I have been in a year where I have felt the Lord to be seemingly silent. I try to remember that He is always at work in the unseen. That work just hasn’t manifested yet in the natural. It’s not easy, but lean into Him. Confess your hurt, doubt and pain to Him. He can handle it. It doesn’t push him away. It only draws Him closer to you.
I often struggle to remember the bigger picture when little things throw my life into a tailspin. Regardless of the trouble, God is with me. Thank you, Karina, I appreciate this reminder.
My pleasure Pearl!
Gosh! Those little things! They are not little to us if it concerns us. And all that concerns us, concerns Him. That’s what a good Fathers does.
Karina,
Beautifully written, thank-you for your words.
“Give God The Praise ” St. John 9:24. Thanks be to Him, for all things……grateful……
Blessings to all,
Penny
Thank you Penny for reading and sharing!
Karina, thank you for this post. After a year of Hubs traveling a lot and boys growing into their teen years, things seem to be calming down. I’m thankful, but I’m weary. It’s in the weary spaces that I find it hard to be thankful. My perspective tends more toward the glass-half-empty rather than glass-half-full. I am working to be thankful that my husband is home. My boys are healthy. God has given us enough. And He is always with us and always loves us. And that is enough. Choosing to remember this as we head into Advent.
That is beautiful Jeanne! Thank you for sharing!!! So much Amen!
Karina,
Thank you for this beautifully written piece! I was reminded yesterday while teaching in the Children’s Ministry of Paul’s encouragement (I Thessalonians 5) to be patient, to rejoice always, and to be thankful, even when it’s hard…sometimes ESPECIALLY when it’s hard. And the holidays can be so hard for so many!
In this season, I am struggling with thankfulness in the midst of my mother’s fluctuating dementia symptoms. When it all begins to feel overwhelming, I find it’s helpful to remind myself that I only have to do today…there’s no need to worry about tomorrow. What a comfort it is to know that Jesus is not only with me in today’s struggle, but in every tomorrow to come!
Blessings to you!
Tracie, thank you for sharing!
Praying for peace and strength for your family. God wants to carry your heavy load. Let him. Ask for help. He is with you.
Tracie,
So sorry about your mom’s dementia. Yes. You just take it one day at a time. Some days will be better than others. I have seen this with both my parents and all forms of dementia. If it gets bad enough you may want to look into hospice care. They can come in and give her sponge baths, take vitals, etc. It depends on how bad off she is.
Praying for you during this time!!
(((((Hugs)))))
What a wonderful God we serve. Beautifully written, Karina. Thank you. ♥
Thank you Brenda! Blessings!
We may not have family but we have a can find someone to share the season of joy with. There are lots of lonely people.
Amen Rebecca!!!
The Father calls us His very own! Such good news! Thank You for this sweet reminder ❤️.
My pleasure Korneeka!
Blessings to you!
I HAD A FULL TIME POSITION, AT THE CAREGIVING AGENCY I AM WITH. MY BOSS HAD OPEN HEART SURGERY IN OCTOBER 2017. EVERYBODY SAID IT IS GOD, WELL MY BOSSES HUSBAND OFFERED ME A FULL TIME POSITION WHEN SUSAN (MY BOSS) CAME BACK. WELL SHE IS BACK, AND WANTS TO BE IN CHARGE AGAIN. STILL HER ASSISTANT, BUT NOTHING TO DO IN THE OFFICE NOW. I AM LOOKING FOR ANOTHER PART TIME POSITION BUT NOTHING YET. I HAVE BILLS I NEED TO PAY ON FRIDAY DEC 3RD, AND WON’T HAVE THE MONEY.
IT IS HARD TO BE THANKFUL RIGHT NOW. I KNOW I NEED TO GET INTO HIS WORD AND PRAY!!
Glee, thank you for sharing! I understand your fear all too well.
May the Lord supply your every need in abundance. He delights in providing for you. Rest in His promises. Let Him whisper truth to your heart. he is good and faithful. And He loves you deeply.
Thank You Karina! I appreciate your response and is helping. Blessings to you!!! Glee
Karina,
Great post! This time of year can be hard on some people. It may seem impossible to give thanks for much. I find that serving others helps take the focus off ourselves and puts it on others. During the holidays there are several ways to serve-buy gifts for needy, help serve hot meals on Thanksgiving & Christmas, Christmas caroling to nursing home, or simply pray for others. Thinking about the plight of others & how bad they are may make it a little better for you. I know seeing the delight in the faces of others make me feel better.
Blessings:)