Let Us Thank Him
By: Shona Neff
God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for our food.
Most of us have uttered this blessing before digging into our dinner. It is a simple, yet profound phrase power packed with reasons why God deserves our praises and thanks.
God is Great
God IS great! He is mighty and omnipotent. He can move mountains both literally and figuratively. He has the power to change the earth’s landscape, but his might can also change the contour of a believer’s heart.
I love this description of God’s great nature:
“To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the Lord set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes” (Deuteronomy 10:14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21 NIV).
God is indeed great and he gives us many reasons to praise and offer him our thankful hearts.
God is Good
God IS good! During the dedication of Solomon’s temple, the Israelites worshiped and showered the Lord with their thanks:
“He is good; his love endures forever.” ~1 Chronicles 7:3
The list of God’s goodness is as eternal as the heavens, but it is amazing that a good and perfect God chose to share his goodness with us, sinful man.
• Hope, joy, and peace: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~Romans 15:13
• Love: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ~John 3:16
• Grace: “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” ~1 John 1:16-17
This list is just the beginning as to why God is so good, but it is a wonderful place to start to when offering him our choruses of thank you.
Let Us Thank Him
The original blessing encourages us to thank God for the provision, food, he provides. And, it is right that we do. In light of the recent earthquakes in Haiti, New Zealand, and Japan, we are reminded that food is not always easy to obtain. Food shelves empty fast when communities are faced with natural disasters or the flow of goods and services is interrupted. We need to always be thankful when food is plentiful.
It is good to thank God beyond his provision of food:
“Give thanks to the lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” ~Psalm 107:1
“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”~2 Corinthians 9:15
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”~Hebrews 12:28
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”~1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17
God is worthy of and deserves our praise. I’ll admit, when we are in the pit it is not easy to lift our praises and words of thankfulness, but that is what is called a sacrifice of praise. In all circumstances, we need to share our thanks to the Master of the Universe for all he does for us.
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Shona loves to inspire people with God’s Word and help them pursue God’s call on their lives. She is Senior Editor of Rooted Living digital magazine, co-founder of StepUP Writing and Speaking Services, and maintains a personal blog, www.shonaneff.com, which includes audio devotions taken from her radio show, Practical Christianity. She is also an editor, writer, speaker, and personality consultant.
Shona Neff, StepUp Writing and Speaking
Editor~Writer~Radio Host
Certified Personality Trainer
www.stepupwritingandspeaking.com
www.shonaneff.com
www.takerootandwrite.com
www.myKKIM.com
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