Cultivating An Attitude Of Gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

My friend recently wrote giving thanks for the myriads of happenings that contributed to a memorable and honoring funeral for her father. Her letter overflowed with praise towards the way God orchestrated circumstances and people who added to the happiness of that occasion. It seems like a conundrum. To be giving thanks for a funeral. But even in the midst of sadness, my dear friend was able to lift her heart (and her pen) in order to praise the One who commands us to give thanks in all circumstances.

It is worth noting that Paul does not say ‘give thanks for all circumstances’. That is a relief, because obviously there are many circumstances in our lives that are possibly beyond giving thanks for. However, regardless of the difficulties we face, it is possible to give thanks to God in those times. Just as my friend did concerning her father’s funeral. This is the sign of a sanctified heart set apart to give gratitude in all circumstances to God.

In the Bible, the words thanks and thanksgiving appear more than 170 times. Clearly this is a posture that we are to adopt and practice. The Puritan writer, Thomas Watson, writes in his work, The Godly Man’s Picture, “A godly man is a thankful man. Praise and thanksgiving is the work of heaven, and he begins that work here on earth which he shall always be doing in heaven.” Right now, is the training ground for the continual praise and thanks we shall be offering to Christ in eternity.

What are some practical measures we can take to cultivate gratitude in our lives?

Psalm 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

As in accordance with David’s cry, we can begin each day with prayer and praise. It is also the example that Jesus modeled for us throughout His time on earth (Mark 1:35). This puts our attention on God and His goodness, which is just where it ought to be. Whether we are early risers or slow to begin the day, whether we are grumpy risers or happy ones, spending the first part of our day in prayer is crucial for cultivating a grateful heart.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Next, we need to recognize that everything we have is from God. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 4:7, “What do you have that you did not receive?” The answer is evident. Nothing. How often do we stop and thank God for His wonderful gifts to us? The prayer of thanks is to be a distinguishing habit of our lives and a continuous one that causes us to lift our heart and voice in praise to God. Let’s remember the inspiring example of Brother Lawrence (author of the classic book on prayer, The Practice of the Presence of God). A humble cook in a monastery outside Paris in the seventeenth century, he would punctuate his day with short prayers of praise and thanksgiving to God. Like Brother Lawrence, we too can fill each day with short prayers that offer thanks for whatever is happening in that moment. Let this become a practice that develops into a God-honoring habit.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Then we can develop an attitude of gratitude as we come to understand that God is sovereign over every circumstance in our life. Paul wrote his ‘epistle of joy’, the letter to the Philippians, whilst under house arrest. And yet, despite his circumstances, which might cause another to become disheartened, Paul was full of joy. Sixteen times in that one letter we find the words joy and rejoice! Paul rests in God’s sovereignty for his future and rejoices in the advance of the gospel even in his chains. When we can rest secure that God, in His deep love for us, is working out all the events of our lives for our good, we can truly rejoice and give thanks despite what we are walking through.

We can rejoice today in the fact that God, in His mercy, saved us from His wrath and punishment. This is all that we deserved for we can do nothing to earn salvation. Only by His grace alone, through the sacrifice of His son Jesus, have we received the gift of salvation. This then is the final reason, and the most compelling, for us to have an attitude of gratitude.

Let us give thanks with a grateful heart, for there are truly ten thousand reasons for our heart to sing because of the goodness and loving kindness of our Heavenly Father towards us.