“Thanksgiving and Praise”

Now, our God,  we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

—1 Chronicles 29:13 (NIV)

 

In 1 Chronicles 29, King David reminds a great assembly that everything he has and everything he had become was because of God.  King David goes back to his humble beginnings all the way through the years and down a long list of blessings to lay out a pretty comprehensive list of reasons to thank God, and he praised God greatly out of his gratitude.  Out of sheer gratitude for all that he had acquired and accomplished in his life up to that point, King David gave God great praise!  It was King David’s gratitude towards God that made his praise of God so fitting. 

 

What, then, is the difference between thanksgiving and praise?  We praise God for his attributes…for who he is apart from what he does for us.  We thank God for what he has done for us—for his blessings and for his gifts.  And the two, thanksgiving and praise, go hand in hand. 

 

Most every Thanksgiving, our family gathers around, usually holding hands in a circle to pray together just before we eat dinner.  We usually go around the circle with every person mentioning at least one thing he or she is thankful for.  I recollect many answers from the past, including family, jobs, financial blessings, and good health.  We are all grateful and eager to begin eating, but we never let the opportunity pass to thank God specifically.  But this year, I will suggest we add an extra does of praise for God, out of sheer gratitude for all that we have acquired and accomplished in our lives because of who God is! 

 

Yes, thanksgiving and praise go hand in hand.  Both gratitude and praise are important to God.  Our praise should match the value we place on whatever it is we are grateful to God for, because God didn’t have to be a loving God.  God didn’t have to show us mercy or bless us for our obedience.  But because of who God is…GLORY!!!  You see, just like an appraiser establishes the value of an item— such as a diamond or a work of art, for example— so we establish the value of God’s blessings in our lives through our praise of Him who gave.  So, as Thanksgiving approaches, think not only about all of the reasons you have to be grateful, but think also about all of the reasons you have to praise God! 

 

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. —Psalm 100:4

 


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