The Power of Thanksgiving

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:18

Last month, I launched a series of articles about the will of God. I highlighted three New Testament passages that specifically list certain activities as being “God’s will” (Ephesians 5:17-21, I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:16-18, I Peter 2:13-15). Of all the things on those lists, only one activity appears twice: giving thanks.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:18

Understand what the will of the Lord is… Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ… Ephesians 5:17,20

What do these verses mean by “giving thanks”? There’s more to it than you probably realize. Let’s explore the biblical idea of thanksgiving.

The Healing Power of Gratitude

I have shared previously about my struggle with depression in 2023:

Even after a week of vacation, I was emotionally exhausted, unmotivated, and sad. I had no clear explanation for what was happening or why it was happening. But something was deeply unsettled in my soul. On my worst of those days, all I wanted to do was to lie on my bed in dark silence. I was not totally debilitated, but I knew something was really wrong. I had experienced seasons of burnout and mild depression, but this was more intense than I had known previously. I needed to get some help.

What I haven’t shared publicly is the role of thanksgiving in my healing process. During that challenging season of life, I attended a few counseling sessions to try to get to the root of what was happening in my heart. One of the simple tools that was suggested to me was to start a gratitude journal. I was encouraged to write down three things that I was thankful for every day. While this practice was not the ultimate solution to my problem, it began to lift me out of the fog. It started to tune my heart to God’s presence, activity, and power in my life. It shifted my focus from my own disappointments and frustrations to the faithfulness of God in my life.

Thanksgiving is a powerful gift from God. Over the last few years, I’ve found then when I’m tempted to become melancholy again (which is a tendency of my personality), I’ve usually slipped away from a regular practice of thanksgiving. I have to pull out my gratitude journal again. Even a few days of intentional thanks begin to shift my mood and lift my spirits.

Thanksgiving and the Presence of God

Why is gratitude so transformative? I believe it‘s because thanksgiving makes us aware of God’s presence. We charismatics tend to think of experiencing God’s presence as something transcendent - otherworldly. We close our eyes and encounter God, almost like an “out of body” experience. And I love those moments!

However, God is not just transcendent but also immanent. He is here and with us in everything. Thanksgiving helps us experience that God is present in the everyday activities of our lives - in embodied space and time. Being intentionally thankful forces us to notice, remember, and recognize the constant activity of God in the world. Everything good, whether big or small, mundane or novel, is received as a gift from Him.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

In fact, many times it’s the recognition of God’s immanence that leads us into experiences of transcendence. This is why King David said that we “enter His gates with thanksgiving”. As we recognize and thank God for already being here, we experience more of His presence in new ways. He “comes” when we acknowledge, with thanksgiving, that He’s already here.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! Psalm 100:4

According to Paul’s writings, it seems that when we give thanks for something, we are consecrating that thing as holy. Ordinary objects and activities become divine and presence-filled because we thank the Lord for them. When discussing what we should or should not eat, Paul says that Christians can eat (or not eat) anything if we give thanks for it.

The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. Romans 14:6

God has made everything. So give thanks, eat, and be glad! Of course, we must be careful not to be a stumbling block to others in our expression of freedom (1 Corinthians 8:9, 10:23-24). However, our default approach as Christians is to enjoy the fullness of God’s creation, give thanks to Him for every good gift, and experience His presence in all things.

When we embrace this daily habit of thanksgiving, our entire lives become infused with the glory of God. Every moment becomes an act of worship. Paul says that “whatever you do” can be done in the name of the Lord, if you give thanks to God for it.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17

Interestingly, the Bible never tells us to express our thanksgiving to other people for their good deeds towards us. Every command to be thankful is related to giving thanks to God. This is not because we shouldn’t be grateful to others for what we have received. It’s simply a recognition that God is the ultimate source of all of our blessings, even those blessings that flow through people.

Michael Miller, founder of the Upperoom in Dallas, has put thanksgiving at the heart of their prayer room. Every one of their prayer and worship sets begins with a time of praying and singing thanks to God.

Upperroom’s emphasis on giving thanks was inspired by a passage in Romans 1:21, which describes those who fell into temptation as those who knew God but “did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.” Here is Michael sharing some of that story:

Thanksgiving, Praise and Prayer

The biblical practice of thanksgiving has roots in Israel’s worship at the Mosaic tabernacle. The Law instructed the Levites to facilitate a “sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Leviticus 7:13-15). These offerings were not Israel’s way of repaying God for His blessings; instead, they were a means for God’s people to engage in fellowship with the Lord and remember His covenant with them. Peter Leithart says:

‘Thanksgiving is covenant renewal through a sacrificial feast. The worshiper does not hope to “balance the books” with YHWH. Instead, he hopes to maintain good fellowship, friendship, and table companionship with his divine Benefactor.’¹

For years, Israel’s thanksgiving was expressed through the burnt offerings at Moses’ tabernacle. However, when King David ruled Israel, he established a new order of worship around the Ark of the Covenant at a different tabernacle in Jerusalem. After bringing the ark into the new tent, David gave Asaph the first song to sing. Here was the first line:

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name… I Chronicles 16:8

The 33-year tent of day and night worship and prayer began with a song of thanksgiving! And the songs that continued to be written and sung in David’s day were filled with the admonition to thank God (see Psalm 30:4, 95, 100, 136, etc.). In David’s tabernacle, Israel’s original “sacrifice of thanksgiving” was transformed into a song, a prayer, and a spiritual offering of one’s heart to God.

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Psalm 50:4

I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart. Psalm 9:1

In the days of David and Asaph there were directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. Nehemiah 12:46

Biblical thanksgiving is not just an emotion we feel; it is expressed with our words, our songs, and our lives. It starts in the heart, but it overflows into our public worship. With the establishment of Davidic worship, thanksgiving became inextricably linked to praise, prayer, and the hearts of the worshipers.

We can not separate thanksgiving from praise. The author of Hebrews echoes many of David’s psalms when he tells believers to “continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

We also cannot separate thanksgiving from prayer. The apostle Paul constantly urged Christians to pray with thanksgiving.

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. Col 4:2

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Phil 4:6

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, I Timothy 2:1

Why is it so essential to include thanks with our petitions and intercession? David W. Pao provides some insight:

“When petition is grounded on thanksgiving, God and not self-interest becomes the focus. On the other hand, thanksgiving without petition proclaims God to be Creator without trusting that he indeed is one who is able to provide for his people.”²

When we pray with thanksgiving, we recognize that we are approaching a God who answers the cries of His people. We can see a history of God’s faithfulness in Scripture, in Church history, and in our present-day lives. Thanksgiving stirs our faith to believe that God is willing and able to answer us. The God who has done great things is still doing great things! So we give thanks. And we pray.

David Fritch says that thanksgiving is agreement with what God has done, praise is agreement with God’s nature, and prayer is agreement with His will³. Thanksgiving, praise, and prayer are all about agreement, and they are inseparable. God does what He does because of who He is. His deeds reveal His attributes!

Thanksgiving and Communion

I have to believe that one of the reasons the apostle Paul was so passionate about the early Church being thankful to God is because he had heard the stories of Jesus himself giving thanks. As the “greater David”, Jesus continued to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving to the Father.

Notably, before he fed the four thousand, he took the fish and loaves, gave thanks to God, and then distributed them to the people (Matthew 15:36). This is why Christians have traditionally offered a prayer of thanks or a “blessing” before a meal. It was to follow the example of Christ himself.

The most prominent example of Christ giving thanks was at the Last Supper, where He instituted communion. He broke the bread and blessed it. He took the wine and thanked the Father for it. And he initiated a new covenant with the Church.

The early Church continued to receive communion every week, as Jesus had instructed, in remembrance of Him. This practice was so closely tied to thanksgiving that they utilized a Greek word for thanksgiving, “eucharistia” (eucharist in English), to describe it. The Didache, one of the oldest extrabiblical Christian writings, instructed believers to receive communion with thanksgiving:

“But on the Lord’s day, after that ye have assembled together, break bread and give thanks…”

Just as Israel’s thanksgiving sacrifices were an expression of their collective fellowship and covenant with God, so it is for Christians. Our worship, whether thanksgiving, praise, prayers, or the Lord’s supper, brings us into God’s manifest presence. They remind us of the covenant Christ has made with us. Thanksgiving is not just a ritual. Communion is not just a ritual. Something supernatural happens when we gather in the name of Jesus, give thanks to the Lord, sing Davidic songs, pray, and receive the Lord’s supper.

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, let this be a reminder to fill your life with thanks to God. As you spend time in the secret place, let your prayers and praise be filled with thanksgiving. When you gather with your church to receive communion, receive it with thanksgiving in your heart. Give thanks! For this is God’s will for your life. And as you do, let this season be filled with a fresh awareness of God’s presence and blessings all around you.

1. https://theopolisinstitute.com/leithart_post/thanks-rite-speech-act/

2. Thanksgiving, by David W. Pao, pg 36-37

3. Enthroned, by David Fritch, pg 54