Talk Together
Family conversations with God’s Word.
What are you thankful for? I know this is something we talk about a lot during the month of November, but thankfulness is something we can practice all year.
We practice thankfulness by paying careful attention to the world around us. Just like a detective looks for clues, we can look for examples of God’s goodness in our lives.
We can notice the beauty of God’s creation or the faithful rising of the sun. We can learn about science and observe how it works together exactly the way God intended. We can consider the family and friends He’s given us and the kindness He shows us through them. When we look hard enough, we can see God’s goodness EVERYWHERE. We can be thankful when things are going well. And we can also choose to be thankful when life is tough.
Psalm 116 was written as a hymn of thankfulness to God when He saved the psalmist from death. Let’s read a couple of its verses together. We’ll start with Psalm 116:1-2 and then read verses 9 and 17.
ESV
"I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord."
The psalmist is worshiping God in these verses by praying to Him with thanksgiving. Worship is our response to God showing us Himself in our everyday lives. The psalmist noticed God’s goodness in the way God heard his prayers and spared his life. Then, he responded by promising to walk faithfully with God and praising Him through prayer.
Did you know we can tell God “thank you” through prayer? Prayer is simply talking to God with the words we have. Those words don’t have to be fancy or long. God hears us whenever we speak to Him. When we make time to thank Him throughout the day, we are declaring His goodness for others to notice too.
What are you thankful for? Pause and thank God for that thing today!