The Green Pastures

Thankfulness in Remembering

“I will remember your deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.” Psalms 77:11-12

It can be hard to be thankful sometimes. We can see in this psalm where the writer starts with crying to God. What does he do? He remembers the deeds of the Lord. Not deeds of the Lord done for him, but the wonders of old. I heard it once that if you have a hard time remembering reasons to be thankful, you have 66 books filled with stories of God’s great wonders done for people like you. Better yet, they are all compiled into one book called the Bible. We should not limit ourselves when looking for reasons to be thankful. It is not hard to see how everything God did is still benefiting us. That is the power of God at work, even thousands of years later. God is the creator of the greatest story of all time and that story will give you an infinite number of reasons to be thankful. You just have to look. Once you find those reasons, I suggest writing them down. Once you start, it will become easier to spot them. It will help when times get harder.

Thankfulness in the Valley

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me.” Psalms 23:4

How amazing is it to have a God that is with us in the good times and the bad? In the good times, it is easier to feel that comforting power that God has, when nothing can mess with your rhythm. In those seasons, do not forget to attribute that to God and God alone. There is nothing you did to earn the blessing of comfort, but rather it is a gracious gift from God. On the other hand, you may be walking through a valley. In which case, you can rejoice that God is right there with you, carrying you through and comforting you with the peace that surpasses all understanding, as Paul puts it in Philippians 4. So whether in easy times or hard, give thanks that God is with you, keeping you right where He wants you. That is exactly where you should want to be. So do not be thankful because God gives you an easy time or hard, but be thankful because He still is reigning over it all, ordaining everything to happen in His great plan, which is higher than what we may think. I find the phrase “Let go and let God” to be unhelpful, but in the context of thanksgiving, I think we should give God thanks, even when you do not understand it all.

Thankfulness in Anxiousness

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

This verse has been so helpful in my fight against anxiety. Too often when I would search for answers to my anxiety, I would get advice that just says to stop. That advice is not only unhelpful, but can be damaging to a person who tries and tries to fight it, yet can’t seem to gain victory. Instead, this verse not only says to not be anxious, but gives the practical steps to get that victory. It follows the theme in the Bible of removing the sin, changing your heart, and replacing it with a righteous substitute. The righteous substitute for anxiety is going to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. This does not mean to wait to be thankful until after the anxiety is gone. While anxious, start the fight by being thankful to God. There was a medical study that I heard about a while ago. It is that the brain cannot be thankful and anxious at the same time. God has embedded the answer to our anxiety this entire time. Once we put that to practice, it is promised to us that the peace of God will come around us and protect us. When I think back to when I have truly felt the peace of God, I can attest that it really does surpass all understanding. It is hard to describe it, but the best attempt I can give is like a heavy weight lifted.