Songs of Thanksgivingfeatured

I have often wondered why the Apostle Paul did not include gratitude as one of the components of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  In his letters Paul was obviously a big proponent of giving thanks.  He begins most of his letters by telling his readers how grateful he was for them and consistently extols the value of giving thanks.  Here are just a few examples:

• “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20).
• “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6-7).
• “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:15-17).

Not being a theologian, I am probably wandering into dangerous territory, but perhaps an attitude of gratitude is part of the fertile ground that the Holy Spirit uses to produce his fruit.

We have multiple opportunities each day to choose gratitude over grumpiness. Some days our path is covered in beautiful examples of God’s goodness and grace and we find it easy to sing a thankful song.  On other days, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we may have to dig deep through layers of sorrow, disappointment, anger, or frustration to find that song of gratitude and then choose to sing it.

Take a few minutes to read Psalm 69:1-30. This Psalm graphically describes David’s far-from-perfect circumstances, but when we get to verse 30, we find that after some extended digging through layers of woe, David chose gratitude: “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.” 

I was thinking of Psalm 69 while I painted “Choosing Gratitude.” Tucked among the sometimes-yucky layers of life, we find pockets of God’s provision and love. When we choose to be thankful (in the midst of both the best and worst of circumstances) our thoughts become a beautiful melodious prayer to God acknowledging his goodness and grace. Gratitude is an expression of our trust in his providence and power.

After Jesus healed Lazarus he prayed, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me” (John11:41-42).

Jesus’ prayer is a model for us. As we choose to consistently to sing songs of thanksgiving, our spiritual soil is fertilized, and our fruit begins to emerge.  As Jesus’ prayer suggests, our fruit of the Spirit has a purpose beyond our own spiritual health. It is for the benefit of those who witness our thankfulness – that they may believe in Jesus Christ.

On days when digging for something worthy of gratitude is really difficult, try turning to 2 Corinthians 9:15. The Apostle Paul’s prayer, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” is a vivid gratitude reminder for us. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for you and me is worthy of a loud song of thanksgiving. May God bless you as you choose to sing a song of gratitude not only this Thanksgiving, but each and every day!