Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Quite often I see good (usually when it benefits me) and it is easy to be thankful. But I’m instructed to be grateful in all circumstances, regardless of how I feel about it. In that respect, I would call gratitude a spiritual discipline, teaching my heart to be grateful as a practice.
The Hebrew phrase used for gratitude, Hakarat HaTov, literally means recognizing the good. While that expression doesn’t appear in that form in our Bible, the idea behind it does. All good things come from God and when we make a habit to look, we will surely recognize His goodness around us even in the hardest circumstances.
While gratitude (Hakarat HaTov) is an internal state, it often, and really should always, spill out to the external act of giving thanks to God (Hebrew, Toda). A grateful heart is generous, loving and merciful. Recognizing the good makes doing good a natural response – and a way to reflect His image.
Lord, give me eyes to see You, for You are good. Help me recognize You at work wherever You lead me. Let me give You a grateful heart as a living sacrifice.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 146:1
