Say "Thank You"

Have you ever given a nice gift and never gotten even a verbal “thank you” for it? How did that make you feel?

(Now, sometimes people just forget who they’ve thanked and who they haven’t, and sometimes they might have the wrong address and the right note got to the wrong place. I know that’s happened to me, so I excuse people when I don’t get a note for something. In some cultures, only a verbal “thank you” is necessary. I honestly don’t get hurt anymore if someone doesn’t thank me. But, I'm glad when they do.)

We like our gift to be acknowledged. We like our thoughtfulness, choice, and generosity to be acknowledged somehow and in some way.

It makes us feel good inside to give.

And, let’s face it, it makes us feel good when someone says “thank you.” I especially like it when the person says they love the gift, that it goes with their home, or that they will remember me when they use it.

Warm and fuzzy. Yes!

God also loves to hear praise for His gifts. (No, God doesn’t need to be thanked so He feels better or is more satisfied. He is God. I doubt seriously if He actually needs praise. He just deserves praise.)

We who know the Lord have so many blessings from God:

• Life and breath
• Daily provisions
• Salvation
• Our beautiful earth
• God’s mercies, new every morning
• His love, justice, holiness, sovereignty, and all God’s other attributes
• A calling, a purpose in life
• The privilege to serve Him
• The Bible, readily accessible
• Our local church
• Believing friends
• A mission field

We could go on and on!

In the Bible, even though God’s many gifts were received over and over again, daily, by His people, I am struck anew by how few actually praised and thanked Him. Some did.

I love these praises from the Psalms:

• That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works (26:7).
• Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High (50:14).
• I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving (69:30).
• Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms (95:2).
• Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name (100:1, 4).
• And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing (107:22).
• Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God (147:7). 

Biblical thankfulness is something that should be a vital part of our Christian lives, something that comes naturally. It needs to be an outpouring of our souls as we communicate with Him.

Read these verses about prayer and faith being integrally connected to thanking God:

• Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God (Philippians 4:6).
• Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving (Colossians 2:7).
• Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2)

How can we make praise part of our daily lives? Let’s be practical:

1. Start out every prayer time with praise. Praise God for Who He is and for your blessings.
2. Look around you right now. What can you thank God for? (I’m sitting in my living room. I can thank God for our house, for a comfortable couch, for my computer, for the view out the window, for a sunny day . . . and that’s just a start!)
3. Praise God verbally—out loud—for your blessings. This is part of your wholesome, joyful testimony. Look for reasons to praise God verbally to others. (An example: You’re in a shop and an unsaved attendant tells you you’re looking well. You say, “Thank the Lord, I’m having a good week.” You’re giving credit where credit is due—and a good word of testimony.)
4. When anyone praises you for something God helped you do, give the glory to God. (Remember how God honored Daniel and Joseph in Old Testament times, even with heathen kings and princes.)
5. If you’re married, any time your husband/wife does anything nice or gives you anything, say “thank you.” It’s common courtesy, after all!
6. Know the customs where you live. If the custom is to write a note for everything, do it! Be thankful. If you only need to thank them with a smile and a sincere “thank you,” then make sure you always thank people for their gifts and kindnesses to you.
7. Look for kindnesses. Did the clerk at the grocery store check you out? Thank him/her. Did someone give you directions? Thank him. Did someone at church share a dish or a dessert? Thank him. Look for the nice things people do for you and thank them.
8. Teach your little children to say “thank you” immediately when given anything, whether it be a treat, a meal, or a toy. When they start out young, “thank you” becomes an automatic response—for life. If you’re in a culture where notes are expected, make sure the children write notes for their Christmas and birthday gifts. The notes can be brief, but it’s important that the children learn to accept gifts graciously.

If you don’t have one already, develop a “gratitude attitude.” It pleases God.

And, you’ll have good practice before going to heaven, where you will praise God along with the angels who’ll be saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen (Revelation 7:12).