Richard Roberts
Have you ever been in a situation that only God could get you out of? There were many times in the Bible when David found himself in that kind of situation, and yet God never failed him. In Psalm 116:12 NIV, David asked the question, “How can I repay the Lord for all of his goodness to me?”And in Psalm 118:1 NIV he answered his own question by saying, “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
As David wrote these words, he may have been remembering how the Lord had caused a stone, slung from David’s slingshot, to strike the Philistine giant, Goliath, in the forehead, bringing him crashing to the ground. (See 1 Samuel 17.) Many times the problems of life seem to choke out our thankfulness to God. Yet one of the best times to go before the Lord with praise and thanksgiving is when you’re facing obstacles. Why? Because the obstacles can become opportunities for God to perform a miracle!
It doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving Day to express our gratitude to the Lord. We can have something to be thankful for every day of our lives! It’s easy to take God’s blessings for granted, so it’s good just to think back over our lives and reflect on what the Lord has done for us. No matter how rough or dark things may be right now, give thanks to the Lord. Instead of focusing on whatever has gone wrong or on the things we don’t have, let us do what the old hymn says, “Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your blessings. See what God has done.” A grateful heart can lift your spirits as nothing else can.