7 Biblical Reasons To Be Thankful | Thankful Thursday

Has life been beating you up lately? Do you feel like you can't really catch a break? I understand how that feels. I get it! Life is hard sometimes. Sometimes it may feel like there are more problems than solutions and more hardships than good times. In these dry seasons it can be hard to count your blessings. After all, we have to really search for the good sometimes. When we lose a loved one, our job ends, the loan does not go through, or our spouse walks out on us, it can be really difficult to find something to be thankful for.

Research has shown that feeling thankful has positive effects on our health: both mental and physical. It can also improve our spiritual health. Choosing to focus on the positive things is not just about looking at the good in our life. When my dad died I did not immediately feel grateful that he was no longer with me. I did look back on the last couple of years of my dad's life and see God's hands all over it. I remembered the miracles and the relief, the breakthroughs that seemed to indicate Dad would not die. I thought about how I was grateful I had those days and months and two full years to spend with him and cherish those last moments together. My sister's birth father was tragically ripped from her life when a drunk driver hit and killed him. It was not easier to watch our dad slip away but there is a big blessing in the gift of that process.

When financial hard times come, it is not the first thing on our minds to write a list of things we are grateful for. We often begin to brainstorm ideas for how to find the ends in an effort to make them meet. We want solutions and when we are faced with a pile of bills and unmet needs, it can be so discouraging and painful. It is in those times that gratitude is so important. Holding on to God's faithfulness in the past, and any glimpses of God's goodness in the here and now only serve to strengthen our faith and reignite our hope that this too shall pass and we will be stronger for it.

Abandonment and rejection leave us feeling vulnerable and scared. Instead of choosing to see the bright side, it is far easier to see the negative effects. Divorce is unfortunately all too common, but the stigma is still there. The brokenness is still there. The unanswered questions of why this happened and how it could have been prevented leave us feeling isolated and alone. If we can somehow choose to see past that to what good there is left, it can help us not sink into despair and depression. There is hope!

How do we know an attitude of gratitude is powerful enough to plunge us out of the darkness back into a few rays of sunshine? We can look at research of course. We can read the studies of thousands of people who were observed and we can see how things changed in their lives. But, is that really helpful to us in the throws of life's lowest valleys? I don't know about you, but when it felt like I was in the pits I did not really care to read about how someone else turned things around by being thankful. I wanted to know what could help me?

The Bible has always been the one source of hope and strength for me. When others shared the Gospel with me it always encouraged me. It never failed to lift me up, if even for a moment. The more I would read the Word of God, the more I would begin to trust God. I learned of His character and His way of thinking. I saw Him as a source of strength and a refuge to hide in. I realized His love would carry me through the darkest of midnights. I did not have to feel forsaken. So, what does the Bible say about being thankful?

1. It is God's Will for us to be thankful. We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." That does not mean to thank God for the divorce, or the death, or the financial hardship, but thank Him that He never abandoned you, He is victorious over death, and He will supply all your needs. This is His will for you because when you look for the good you will find it. When you choose to focus on the reasons you are blessed, you will find more reasons. What you continue to dwell on will get down on the inside of you and it will begin to flourish and grow and it will elevate you out of the dungeon.

2. It is to remember God's holiness. We read in Psalm 30:4 "Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness." When we start shifting our eyes from our problems onto the Solution, Christ Jesus, we start remembering His holiness. We remember His goodness. We remember He has never failed us. We remember He has always done nothing but good for us. It shifts the mindset to stop dwelling on the problem and the negative parts of the puzzle. We begin to get our courage back. We stop feeling fear. We begin to believe again. Our hearts start to mend.

3. It is a good thing. We read in Psalm 92:1-3 "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: To shew forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound." The Bible tells us it is a good thing to give thanks. When we begin to sing praises to God we stop feeling sadness. We no longer feel anxiety, worry, fear, doubt, or defeat. We begin to sing praises to God and something good starts to spring forth on the inside of us. We begin to feel that wellspring of life bubbling over. We feel joy take over and nothing can take it away when we have our mind completely on the goodness of God, day or night.

4. It gives us something to share with others. We read in Psalm 105:1 "O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon His name: make known His deeds among the people." The great things God has done for us is not just for our pleasure. It is not just for our enjoyment; but rather to be shared with others who are hurting. We may see others who are mourning, or discouraged, or feeling abandoned, and when we begin to share what God has done for us it edifies us both. We both gain strength from that. We both increase in faith when we hear an actual account of what God has done in times of great distress and pain. When we see His hand upon others and they tell us what God has done in their lives, it gives us hope that He will do the same thing for us.

5. It enables us to live in His presence. We read in Psalm 140:13 "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto Thy name: the upright shall dwell in Thy presence." When we meditate on the things God has done for us, it causes us to temporarily leave our current situation and we are fully in His presence. When we recall the times God fed us when we had no money and no food, we begin to feel the oil of gladness fill our souls. As we remember the times the money came out of nowhere just before we lost everything, it will spark hope in our hearts that He will come through again. And as we begin to bask in the love of God and all the many times He came through for us, it changes the chemicals in our bodies. Endorphins, a feel-good hormone, begins to be released throughout our bodies. We begin to feel more joy than stress, more peace than chaos, more love than rejection and our whole countenance lights up. Friends, we can choose to live that way.

6. It brings us victory. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:57 "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." We get our hopes up when we remember the times He came through before and when we are filled with faith and not doubt, God begins to work on our behalf. He begins to rearrange some things. He begins to change our circumstances. We begin to have victory over what once held us bound. That is worth praising God for. That is worth thanking Him for. We are victorious when we keep our eye on the prize and not get distracted by the tricks of the enemy.

7. It is what we will do in eternity. We read in Revelation 11:16-17 "And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give Thee thanks, O LORD GOD Almighty, Which art, and was, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned." When we come to eternity we will thank Him for what He did for us. We will be so thankful to have overcome every trial, every tribulation, every hardship, every battle that we faced. We will praise Him because He reigns. We will bow before Him like the 24 elders and we will proclaim that He is King and He is LORD and He is God. We will worship Him. He deserves it. He is worthy. It is His! Praise and thankfulness belong to God. We owe it to Him to tell Him how much we appreciate Him; how wonderful He is to us; and how much He means to us.

Friends, we have more than seven reasons to be thankful to God. Count your blessings today and every single day. Do not worry about the worries of this life, the problems and health concerns that arise. We have hope in Jesus Christ who promises us eternal life. We may not have it easy in this life, and bad things will continue to happen to us from time to time, but we have to remember Jesus Christ is King. He is worth every word of praise and adoration; every thankful and grateful sentiment; every appreciative statement we can think of to let Him know how much He means to us.

I am so thankful for Jesus loving me and never giving up on me. I have so much to praise God for. May you be found today with praise on your lips to King Jesus for all that He has done and is doing and will do in your life! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

 

Psalm 7 | Bible Study Wednesday

Welcome back to another Wednesday Bible Study. We are moving through the book of Psalms this year and today we turn our attention to the book of Psalms, chapter seven. This is a Shiggaion of David. According to BibleStudyTools.com, using Easton's Bible Dictionary, shiggaion is, "The word denotes a lyrical poem composed under strong mental emotion; a song of impassioned imagination accompanied with suitable music; a dithyrambic ode." David composes this particular song under great distress and persecution. If you have not done so, please take a few minutes to read this chapter. It is only 17 verses. We will break down what is being said here and hopefully you will continue the study on your own to cross-reference verses or perhaps do word-mapping.

Verses 1-2 David has been cursed at, rocks flung at him, and ridiculed by a man from the tribe of Benjamin in 2 Samuel chapter 16. This was a time when his son was trying to take the throne away from him. He was in a lot of mental distress and he knew the One he could go to was God. He knew that God always helped him. David knew that even if God did not change David's circumstances, he would still feel better, comforted, and encouraged after going to God in prayer.

Here in the opening two verses, David proclaims he has full confidence and trust in what God can do. He remembers the lions that would like nothing more than to tear the flesh off the sheep he used to tend. He feels like one of the sheep and his enemies are the lions.

Verses 3-5 David is asking God to search him for sin. He asks God to allow his enemies to trample him into the dust if he has done wrong. If he has paid evil back to men that were at peace with him, and he even reminds God that he has shown mercy to those who hated him without a reason. This is David showing God that he wants to be found pleasing in His sight. He wants to be clean before God, but he is willing to suffer the consequences of what he has done.

Verses 6-11 In these verses, taking up a bulk of this chapter, David expresses how God is a just judge and angry with the wicked daily. He asks God to rise up in anger against those who have come against David in this time of stress and chaos. He says God will judge the people, and he even asks God to judge him. David wants God to check his integrity, check his motives, to check his heart. David says God will make the wicked come to an end, but the righteous God looks at people's hearts and intentions. David says he is defended by the God who saves those upright in heart. 

Verses 12-16 David describes what will happen to the wicked. He says they will fall into the very ditch they made to snare someone else. The pit they dug for someone else will be the very pit they fall into when God gets through with the wicked. David said the mischief they thought to do to someone else will come upon their own head. The violence they thought to do to others, David said will return to themselves. Whatever evil they imagined to do unto others will come right back to them.

Verse 17 David ends this psalm with praise. He has petitioned the LORD for what he needs. He has encouraged himself with remembering the character of God. He is satisfied with the way he knows God is going to handle the matter and now it is time to praise Him. Notice David says he will praise the LORD according to His righteousness. David's circumstances have not changed yet, but he is not allowing circumstances to dictate whether he is going to praise God or not. David knows God is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory because He is God and He is good and He is holy. David's last words in this passage is, "I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High."

You may feel surrounded by people who talk about you, lie on you, throw you under the bus, and watch for you to fail. You may feel overwhelmed and in mental distress like David. You may feel like you are outnumbered and alone, but God is on your side! He is fighting for you. He comes against the workers of iniquity and fights for you! He will take care of the matter. Ask Him to search you for sin and if He reveals to you anything at all, put it under the blood. If you have bitterness, ask Him to help you forgive. If you have hate in your heart, ask God to give you love for your enemies and those who wound you. He will do it. And once you have been cleansed by God then begin to praise God and stop thinking about the mess and the problems. Stop worrying about the things they did to you or said about you. It's over. God has taken care of it. He is on the scene working and you can carry on. He is for you and He loves you. That is something to praise God for.

I hope you have learned something new today. I certainly have learned a lot. I am taking away just as much, if not more, than what I am giving today. Trust God to handle these circumstances and do not give up. God is fighting for you and He will deliver you. I hope something I have shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you.

~Bridgett Owens

 

Psalm 5 | Bible Study Wednesday

It is time to open our Bibles. We are halfway into this week and sometimes we just need to break a little Bread to strengthen us. Today's passage is another psalm of David. David had a heart of worship long before he wore the king's crown. These psalms show us David's heart as we read the struggles and difficult situations he was in. These psalms also point us to the One who can make all things new and turn everything around for our good. If you haven't read through Psalm 5 yet, I encourage you to do so before we begin today's study.

Verses 1-3 This is another psalm of prayer. The first three verses are talking about God hearing David's prayers. David asks God to listen to his groaning and cries. He addresses God as King and says it is to Him that he will direct his prayers in the morning. Then David says this, "and will look up." That is the key to this whole thing. David is asking in faith because he is going to look up to God for the answers. He is not going to look down and feel bad about the way things are going. He is not going to look around and feel discouraged by others who may seem to have it together. He is going to look up because that is where his help comes from.

Verses 4-6 The next three verses is David talking to God about who God is. David lists these attributes or characteristics of God: 

God does not take pleasure in wickedness.

God does not dwell with evil.

God does not look at the foolish.

God does not love workers of iniquity.

God will destroy those who speak lies.

God loathes bloodthirsty people.

From this list we can have a good idea of what David is coming up against. His life could be endangered. We know it was in danger many times in Scripture. These enemies of David's are characteristics of our enemy. Satan is wicked, evil, foolish, worker of iniquity, father of lies, and always seeking whom he may devour. We could be praying this same prayer against the attacks of our own enemy any day of the week.

Verse 7 This verse David declares what he is going to do in the midst of his troubles. He says he is going to the house of the LORD where His mercy is multiplied and in fear and reverence he will worship God. Sometimes we need to declare who God is and what He stands for and then allow that to remind us God is fighting for us. We can then worship Him knowing the multitude of His mercy!

Verse 8 David requests God do something for him. He says to God, "Lead me!" How often is this is our prayer? God lead us in YOUR righteousness. Our righteousness is as filthy rags according to Isaiah 64:6. We want to be led by God in His righteousness. David said to God, in essence, "Show off in front of my enemies. Show how good and awesome You are and then make Your way straight in front of me." David wants to make sure he doesn't miss the path God is leading him on. We can choose to do things ourselves and walk in our filthy rags and while the enemy looks on, we will fall down, get scuffed up and hurt our witness as followers of Christ. But we can also choose what David chose. We can allow God to lead us in His righteousness on His perfect path. Which will you choose today?

Verses 9 &10 David has a list of characteristics about his enemies. He says this:

They lie.

They are wicked to the core.

Their mouth is an open grave.

They flatter falsely.

The enemy wants to paint a beautiful picture of what life could be like living on your own terms. The trouble with that is it is all smoke and mirrors. It's lies. He is not concerned with our well-being. He does not want us comfortable and happy. He wants to torture us every chance he gets. He wants to play the pipe so we will dance on the broad way toward hell. It is not a party they are going to. It is a place of eternal destruction and torment. We must not listen to the lies, the false flattery, the vanity and pride.

David has a solution in verse 10. He tells God to destroy them. He asks God to let them trip over their own stumbling blocks they set for others. He asks God to cast them out for the multitude of their sins. Remember he just said God has a multitude of mercy, but of the enemy he says they have a multitude of sins. David points out their rebellion, and rebellion is as the spirit of witchcraft, according to 1 Samuel 15:23. We know that is exactly what God is going to do to the wicked. They will all be destroyed.

Verse 11 David asks God for a blessing for the followers of God. He says let us rejoice, shout for joy, and be joyful in God because He defends us and we love Him. God honors that request to this day. We can rejoice and shout for joy. We can be full of joy in God knowing He fights our battles and carries us through every hardship we endure. We love His name. We love everything about Him.

Verse 12 David ends the prayer recounting how good God is. He says, "You will bless the righteous and like a shield you will surround them with favor." What an awesome way to end time alone with God. Have you ever thought about God's favor surrounding you like a shield is because David spoke that prayer? God honored David's prayer. He listened to him and He answered that prayer and it is still being answered generation after generation. What a wonderful God we serve!

I have been so encouraged by today's passage. I sure do love Bible Study Wednesdays and especially going through the Psalms. It gives us a wonderful formula for how we can pray boldly and effectively. These are prayers that God is still answering today. I hope to meet you back here next week to go through another Psalm. Tomorrow we will count our blessings and Friday we will discuss some food for thought to take us through the weekend. I hope something I have shared today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Thankful For Who God Is | Thankful Thursday

ROMANS 11:33-36 (33)O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! (34)For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counselor? (35)Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? (36)For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things: to Whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Do you know the depth of the riches of God's knowledge and wisdom? Of course we don't. He knows everything. He never overthinks anything. He never misses anything. He is amazing! He knows everything about us, our future, our suffering... there is nothing He does not know. He knows our thoughts and motives. His judgments are beyond finding out. We can search all we want but we will never tap into the incredible mind of God. He does not need an advisor or counselor. He is the Great Counselor. He is the ONE source of advice and wise counsel to follow. He is a giver. He has given to us and we did not ever give anything to God that He has not turned around and multiplied and given back to us. You cannot out-give God.

I am so thankful for God. I am so grateful that He has so much knowledge and wisdom and understanding, yet He does not laugh at how little I understand compared to Him. I appreciate how generous and kind He is with advice and instruction on how to live my best life. I could not know the path to take if it were not for His Word teaching me and guiding me as I go.

You and I exist of God, through God, and for God. We exist to praise Him. We exist to magnify His great name. He gets all the honor and glory and praise both now and forever more. He is worthy! I am so thankful that I am able to have communion with God. I can walk with Him and talk with Him. I can feel His love. I can experience His presence, His glory, His favor, His healing virtue. He is so wonderful. I could never run out of enough things to praise God for. He is my friend.

I lean on God for everything. I tell Him everything. He knows anyway. He knows what I am thinking. If I am angry I tell Him why. He helps me so I can let it go and not grow bitter. If I am happy, He listens and rejoices with me. He sings over me with joy. He has laid up a crown of righteousness for me and not just for me, but for anyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus to be saved.

What are you thankful for? In November, I usually spend all 30 days sharing what I am thankful for on social media. I keep a traveler's notebook that I made with photos and stories of what I am thankful for. There are lots of people who do that and it's a wonderful exercise to prepare our hearts for celebrating Jesus' birth and why He came. However, I am not only quick to share my gratitude one month out of the whole year. This is why God prompted me to share what I am thankful for every Thursday. 

Look back over my blog and you will find that I don't do that perfectly. The point is, I am doing it today and I am being more intentional about disciplining myself to stay on track with posting on this blog. I want to be committed to the things God is asking me to do. Sometimes it feels overwhelming and I cannot do it. Sometimes it seems like I have nothing of value to share. The truth is if I stay focused and put in the effort, God will help me with the areas I cannot do alone. He is so good to help us all.

I hope you count your blessings every day. I am so glad you spent some time on the blog today reading about what has put gratitude in my heart. I would love to hear from you, too.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens