As he tends to do, the God of the Universe led me to a specific passage of Scripture this Thanksgiving season. In response, I thought I would do what I tend to do, that is, write about it. The passage may not be one you have looked at in awhile: 1 Chronicles 29. Get your Bible!
I'm learning more and more that gratitude is the key to joy. Gratitude is necessary for a godly life. I shouldn't need to exhort you to be grateful. My Facebook feed is evidence enough that I don't need to give a theological discourse as to why gratitude is important, as valuable a reminder as that would be. We agree, and especially on Thanksgiving we show it. We have a lot to be thankful for. A lot! Family, friends, shelter, food, jobs, resources, you name it. My struggle is making it a consistent part of my life leading up to, and flowing from, a holiday that has not always existed, you know. The Pilgrims did not invent thankfulness. My God tells me in his word that gratitude is a basic characteristic, perhaps the starting point, in a life that is pleasing to him. Who knew that an otherwise obscure passage could help us with gratitude? That is rhetorical. God knows. In this case, I now know in a more practical way three components of gratitude: the why, the what, and the how.
WHY BE GRATEFUL?
We mostly have this one covered. Unless, you only feel thankful, or express thankfulness, on Thanksgiving. Be honest. In April or May, do you reflect on why you should be grateful? How about January or February when you have a flat tire on the side of the road and there's six inches of snow on the ground? Is there a fundamental reason to be grateful that applies to all circumstances? In 1 Chronicles 29 (go read it!), I see several, all of which I will classify under the sub-heading: Realities.
Realities
In the second part of verse 14, David acknowledges in his prayer, "for all things come from you". You can never repeat this concept too much. All things, they come, from God. All good and perfect gifts. All things. What do you have that you haven't received? The fundamental reality that all things come from God makes it possible to be grateful in all circumstances. Without God we wouldn't have a car at all, let alone four tires that 99% of the time have plenty of air. Without God we wouldn't have the means to have a cell phone and a AAA card, or a spare in the trunk, or a friend to come help us. We know all this. Are we grateful?
In verse 15 David says we are strangers and sojourners. We don't belong here and we are wandering around. Aimless. Given that reality, how remarkable is it that we have a home? How about a community? A stable job and safe work environment? A church? A place to rest and relax? Restaurant options to serve us food? Hotels that give us a place to stay and a comfortable bed? Seriously. We are strangers on a journey, yet we are not all on the side of the road scraping to get by and barely surviving, and we really should be, were it not for a gracious God.
At the end of verse 15 David reminds us that our days on earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. Our days on earth are like a shadow. How long do you notice or linger over a shadow? Do you ever reflect as you are looking at a shadow of a tree or something else, "I bet this shadow has lived a lot of life. I bet this shadow has really traveled the world, enjoyed food and culture, and had lasting friendships. I bet this shadow has a loving family and has nurtured future generations of shadows to live and prosper and contribute to society. I bet this shadow has left a legacy of love and compassion, and written books to tell its story." Silliness. I have never read a book written by a shadow, and I read a lot. You've already noticed and ignored like ten shadows since I started this paragraph. They are all gone now. And we are like that. Yet, we experience all these wonderful blessings and opportunities in our shadow lifetime. That is incredible! How grateful we should be?!
WHAT IS THERE TO BE GRATEFUL FOR?
Again, we probably have this covered, but I know for me I need to go back and read this passage and this blog when its not Thanksgiving season, and there are not unspoken contests to post the most unique "I am thankful for" picture on Instagram. #GratefulGram.
Blessings
King David has made great preparations for the temple for his God, the temple that his son Solomon will officially build. He acknowledges that all the resources he has prepared come from God anyway, and he presents them as an offering to God in his preparation. They come from God, so he offers them to God, and they eventually will build a house for God. All for God because it all comes from God. Pretty clear. Even for us, this is understandable. We are thankful for the food we have, and the water we drink, and the house we live in, and the warm bed at night, and the kitchen table, and the lamp (I love lamp), and the comfortable couch (#FoamMatterstoGod), and all the rest. We are thankful for things, yes. But what from this passage can we learn to be grateful for that maybe we wouldn't otherwise be?
In verse 1, David mentions two things that are close to my heart, and even I neglect to give thanks for like I should. The first is "work that is great". My spiritual tagline (hashtag) is Work Matters to God. By this I mean that I strongly believe that our daily work, our vocation, matters to God because it allows the community to flourish, it allows people to have meaningful work to use their God-given abilities, and it lasts forever. So being thankful for work is easier for me, and perhaps for you. How about work "that is great"? Are we abundantly thankful for the fact that our work is challenging? We have the capacity in our brains and the strength in our bodies to do some pretty amazing things. If you are in the medical field, you facilitate healing for fellow human beings. If you are in law, you interpret ridiculously complex regulations and in so doing bring about justice. If you are in business. you integrate people, ideas, equipment, and materials to create, form, and deliver usable products and services to everyday life. If you are in education, you creatively and diligently transfer information, skills, and behavior to impressionable, young minds. If you raise children you have the full responsibility for the nurture and development of little people who have total dependency on you. Do you appreciate the challenge and the greatness of your work? Are you grateful?
At the end of verse 1, David mentions the palace, or temple that he is building. Consider it the specifics of his work. He says it will not be for man but for the Lord God. His work has everlasting purpose. So does yours. Did you know that? Can you explain it? Are you grateful for it?
HOW TO BE GRATEFUL
This passage has helped me see how to be grateful in four specific components.
Attributes
Acknowledging the attributes of God, and saying them back to him in prayer, is such a powerful starting point. Reflect on his attributes, and gratitude should absolutely come natural. Look at verse 10-13. Speaking to God, David says yours is the greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty. Yours is the kingdom. Riches and honor come from you. In your hand are power and might, and you make great and give strength to all. Any one of these things, let alone a dozen or so, could fuel your prayer for hours and overflow your heart with gratitude.
Requests
I never think about the fact that asking for more is a way of showing gratitude for what I have. And I guess it depends on what you ask for, and your heart in the asking. But David clearly presents his requests to God, asking that God would forever keep the purposes and thoughts in the hearts of his people. He asks that God would grant to his son Solomon a whole heart to keep commandments, statutes, testimonies, and that he would build the palace he has prepared for him to build. We can show gratitude by making requests to God. That is so helpful!
Offerings
I gather that most people use this passage as a classic instruction on stewardship, or giving, as they should. It is impossible to read this passage and not see the generosity and joy that David and all the people experience in giving to the Lord. And it should be impossible for us not to be abundantly generous as an overflow of our daily gratitude. After all, it all comes from him!
Praise
I would be remiss to ignore the verses of praise in this passage, specifically verse 9 and verse 20. "With a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the King also rejoiced greatly... And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord." Praise is the most basic way to express gratitude. We can never do it too much!
Long post in two words: Be grateful! I know I am. Happy Thanksgiving!
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