Thankful Heart

“If the only prayer you said was thank you; that would be enough.”- Meister Eckhart

Thankfulness is a condition of the heart that trust God and acknowledge him for who he is. The thankfulness in heart increases as one acknowledge God and his marvelous works and deeds. It keeps a person stress free even during the struggles. A thankful person spreads the joy to his surroundings. It is the best offering that one can offer to God as it involves our heart. Thankful heart is loving heart.

One of the habits that Paul cultivated in his life was thanksgiving. We can find in almost all of his epistles writing that “I give thanks to Lord for you.” (1 Thessalonians 1:2)

One of the best quotes that ought to be our prayer is written by William Shakespeare

“O Lord that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.”

I wonder how life will be if we get up and live every day grateful?

What steals the gratitude?

“Gratitude looks to the Past and love to the Present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.” – CS Lewis

There are many things that can steal the gratitude. It is easy to be ungrateful when anyone’s eyes shift from God to the circumstances around them. The unmet expectations, desires can lead to ungrateful heart. Unanswered prayers, delay in something can cause a person to be ungrateful. Remember Israelites in the wilderness? Their situations caused them to forget all that God did for them and as a result they became ungrateful. Their eyes shifted from the God who is able to do anything to their physical circumstances. They now wanted to go back to slavery from which God delivered them. The unpleasant physical circumstances can cause someone to forget all that God did for them and this result in ungrateful heart. The desires and passions that are contrary to God’s will can lead to thanklessness.

The purpose of all the things is to steal gratitude so that you will not be able to walk with faith. Gratitude and faith walks hand to hand. It is impossible for a person to be grateful and not have faith in God.

Grateful heart is the heart that is intimate with God.

How will you feel being surrounded with people who are ungrateful for all that you do for them?

I am sure that you will never want to live or work around ungrateful hearts. No one wants to be around people who neither acknowledge nor honor their presence. We sometimes do not want to work for these people but thanks to be our God who is good and merciful that even after we dishonoring him and being ungrateful; he never leaves our side.

Ungratefulness is like a river that stinks.

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus

Reasons for thankfulness

There are several reasons for being thankful to God. Look around yourself. You will find 10,000 reasons to be grateful and bless the name of the Lord. Here are few reasons of them.

Thank him for his mercies that are new every morning.
Thank him for he has given us life and knitted us in mother’s womb.
Thank him for he never leaves us nor forsakes us and promises to be with us till the end of the age.
Thank him for his plans that are good for us and gives us hope and future.
Thank him for the daily bread, breath, shelter and beautiful family.
Thank him for your workplace and all those people around you.
Thank him for the salvation, cross and his son Jesus Christ who died for us.
Thank him for reconciling us with him.
Thank him for the good thoughts that he have towards us.
Thank him for his goodness that never ends.
Thank him for his love that never fails and sustains us.
Thank him for the unshakable kingdom that he is establishing.
Thank him for the beautiful nature.
Thank him for his wonderful works.
Thank him for his presence around us.
Thank him for the protection.
Thank him that he is our shepherd, great counselor, teacher and doctor.
Thank him that he is the one who satisfies our mouth with good things.
Thank him for his grace that carries us.
Thank him that he speaks to us.
Thank him that he is our best friend and brother.
Thank him for renewing our strength each and every day.
Thank him for standing by our side always.
Thank him for interceding for us and being our advocate; cancelling all wrongs that were against us.

Look around yourself and count your blessings. See the gratitude that will flow from your heart.

Benefits of Thankfulness

There are several benefits of being grateful. It does not only help spiritually but also affects physical and emotional being of person. Here are few benefits of being thankful.

Thankfulness releases joy

A heart full of gratitude will always be joyful as they always focus on the things that they have rather than their circumstances. Someone wrote it so well that “it is not joyful people who are thankful but thankful people are joyful.”

“The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”

Psalm 28:7

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10

When heart responds with gratitude in all the circumstances, it releases heavenly joy that becomes our strength for the seasons of our life.

“The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time.” – Douglas Wood

It pleases God and opens the heaven

Thankful heart always attracts God and heaven. It exalts God over the circumstances of life. It acts as a magnet to the blessings. It is the will of God for us to be thankful. Jesus gave thanks to the Lord before the multiplication of loaves and fishes.

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psalm 100:4

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

John 6:11

It releases breakthrough

The thankful heart is always positioned supernaturally for the breakthrough. Apostle Paul writes in the epistle to Philippians that we should keep our requests known to God with thanksgiving in our heart.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”

Philippians 4:6

It is the best remedy

Gratitude acts as best remedy for the healing in our physical body. According to the study done by researchers, thankful people experience less pain and aches and feel healthier than others. It is grateful people who are more active and responding.

Thankful person is emotionally stable

Study states that gratitude shifts one’s attention from negative and toxic emotions to the positivity eventually making them emotionally stable.

Take time this day as you read this and think about something that you have and others desire for it. We sometimes become so ungrateful for the things God has blessed us that we forget that it can be someone’s prayer and desperate desire. The comfortable bed you are sleeping in could be a desire in someone’s heart who doesn’t own it. The career that you are pursuing; many have just desire to reach half of the stage where you are right now. The luxurious food at your table and someone is struggling to have one time meal. The salvation of God that you received; there are many who don’t even know the name of Jesus Christ.

Thank God for it and bless his name.

Prayer: Dear father in heaven, we are so sorry for being so ungrateful to you. I thank you Lord for blessing us with all that we have this day. It is just because of your mercies and unfailing love.
THANK YOU LORD.
In Jesus name, Amen

I pray that we will live thankful life and spread the joy around us.

Maybe you are reading this and never knew about the Lord who is a compassionate and loving father and want to give your life to him; Read this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I ask you to come into my heart and forgive my sins. I receive you as my savior who died and was resurrected for me. Come and do what you want to do in my life. I surrender my heart, mind, and soul to you. In Jesus name, Amen.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14