How Do You Say Thanks to God?

Giving thanks always for all things unto God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.—Ephesians 5:20

By Joseph Dolan

Can we give thanks always and for all things? The best way to express our thanks to God is to demonstrate it through perfect obedience. Although this is our heart’s desire, only Jesus was able to be completely obedient to the will of God in all his thoughts, words, and actions. He showed his thankfulness by demonstrating a faith that could firmly trust God, come what may.

The spirit of Christ will have its effect upon the Christian who follows Paul’s advice in Philippians 2:5, "let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus." Our Lord’s mind was fixed on doing his Father’s will, thus demonstrating a spirit of love and thanksgiving (Psa. 40:8). As we allow Jesus to take over our lives, this same attitude of praise and thanksgiving will grow; proportionately we will delight to be continually communicating with our heavenly Father (Eph. 6:18). Whenever we are able, by the Lord’s grace, to demonstrate "less of self and more of thee" we are saying thanks to God. Despite life’s concerns and the perplexing days ahead, no one can separate us from the love and precious promises of our God. As we remember his promises toward us, a calm and thankful spirit is kindled in us—thus we say thanks to God.

We want to say always "Thank you, dear heavenly Father" because we know that he is always overruling all things for the good of our eternal welfare. This he does for "all them who love him and are called, according to his eternal purpose" (Rom. 8:28). Following in the Master’s footsteps, we learn of the faithful who have gone before us. This induces gratitude for the way his word has been preserved down through the ages and shows how he readily gives the holy spirit to those who diligently seek him. Remember how Paul and Silas gave thanks to God at the end of a torturous day by singing hymns while locked in the inner prison (Acts 16:25).

Obedience Says "Thanks"

Our thanks are expressed by striving to let him know that obedience is our heart’s desire. By his assisting grace, we will show obedience and thanksgiving through our thoughts, words, and deeds (Prov. 23:26). Jesus said that the greatest of all would be as the servant of all (Luke 22:26), and certainly the Creator has been serving his creation since the beginning. He gave us everything we need to live—both now and forever. He gave his only begotten Son as a ransom for Adam and his dying race. He gave his holy spirit to guide those faithful ones who lived before Christ. He gave us the opportunity and invitation to follow Jesus, promising that if we remain faithful unto death he will give us a crown of life. Throughout the ages to come, he will continue to reveal more good things to both his thankful human and spiritual families.

We give good gifts to our children. Much more does our heavenly Father give good gifts to his creation. How do we say thanks for these gifts? Upon receiving a good gift it is natural to say "thank you." To show our gratitude we smile, embrace, sometimes shed tears of joy, and look for opportunities to give something in return. The spirit of thankfulness prompts a resultant action. This is how we also express our thanks to God for his many benefits toward us.

A Morning Resolve

Our words and actions are prompted by thoughts. Therefore we want to start each day with thoughts pleasing to our heavenly Father. A good time to start saying thank you to God and to Jesus in our thoughts is the moment we awaken from sleep. It is a good time for a morning resolve: "Lord, my earliest thought I desire shall be, what can I do for you today? I will take the cup of salvation and ask you for grace to help me pay my vow of consecration. Remembering your call and invitation, ‘Gather my saints unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice,’ I resolve that by your assisting grace, I will today, as your saint, fulfill my vows, continuing the work of sacrificing my flesh and its interests that I may attain unto your heavenly inheritance, in joint-heirship with my redeemer. I will strive to be simple and sincere toward all. I will seek not to please and honor myself, but only you, dear Father. I will be careful to honor you with my lips that my words may be unctuous and blessed to all. I will seek to be faithful to you, the truth, the brethren, and all with whom I have to do, not only in great matters but also in the little things of life. Trusting myself to your care and your overruling of all my interests for my highest welfare, I will seek not only to be pure in heart, but to repel all anxiety, all discontent, all discouragement. I will not murmur nor complain at what your providence may permit because I trust you, Lord, and thank you."

Now we may enter into our specific prayers and continue to pray before the day’s activity begins. We have become goal oriented. We have set the stage and it is one of thankfulness and partnership for the hours ahead because we have directed our thoughts toward God.

One of the first reasons to say thanks to God is for the wonderful gift of being able to think. We exercise this gift of thought when we pray to him. How precious, also, are God’s thoughts to us! How great is the sum of them! "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psa. 139:17, 23). Both God and Jesus know our thoughts. They are eager to assist any who work at bringing into subjection every thought to the obedience of Christ.

God Knows Our Words

God knows our words. We will always try to honor him with our speech, but James reminds us how difficult this can be. We use the gift of speech to say thanks to God and then to criticize our fellow man, all of whom are made in God’s likeness (James 3:9). "A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good it is" (Prov. 15:23).

What a wonderful gift is speech! When God returns to the people a pure language they will all call upon him with one consent (Zeph. 3:9). God’s word has been written for us. So has some of what Jesus said. "No man ever spake like this man" (John 7:46). Mankind’s speech patterns must improve to the point where "every thing that hath breath" shall praise the Lord (Psa. 150:6).

Today, "speaking the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15) is saying thanks to God. Talking with other Christians about the truth is saying thanks to God. There are times along the way when we need to "bite our tongue," and hold back from words we want to speak, to replace them by saying thanks to God. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matt. 12:34).

The Voice of Action

Sometimes our actions speak louder than our words. Body language is universal and comes across loud and clear. How true is the expression, "I would rather see a sermon than hear one any day." We are to do with our might what our hands find to do, but we must be careful to do nothing whereby our brother stumbles, or is offended or weakened (Rom. 14:21).

Though our desire is to be continually engaged in activities to help our brethren and to spread the glad tidings, daily responsibilities frequently require other necessary activities; yet where we have opportunity to serve others we should do it heartily and thereby say thanks to God.

Pure religion is action (James 1:27). Giving thanks to God by doing for others is a special privilege. "Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matt. 25:40). "Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant" (Matt. 20:27). The greatest example of service is our heavenly Father, followed closely by Jesus. He became poor for our sakes, a living sermon of gratitude and thankfulness.

We Can Do "All Things"

After setting the daily stage upon awakening and establishing our goals we, being yoked together with Christ, "can do" whatever he places before us. We "can do" all things each day pertaining to making our calling and election sure, thanking him each step of the way. We can develop a continuous prayer life, "without ceasing." We "can" make that needed phone call to a lonely brother or sister. We "can" get to the meeting. We "can" hug those near and dear to us and those not so near and dear to us. We "can" send a post card, speak the truth in love, help a brother or sister, visit a hospital, pray for those in need. We "can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us" (Phil. 4:13). Doing these things we will leave, all along our pilgrim journey, an unbroken line of thankfulness between ourselves and God.

Some dear brethren can no longer think and speak and do for reasons best known to the Lord. Having done all, they wait, thankfully, to go up higher. May the Lord help us each to use whatever he has allotted us along the means of natural talents to glorify and praise his name, thus demonstrating our thankfulness to him.

How can we say thank you to God? How can we not say thank you in all that we think and say and do, expressing our appreciation for all he has thought and said and done?

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."—Hebrews 13:15