“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  I Thessalonians 5:18

In recent weeks I experienced an exhaustive time of what seemed to be nonstop activity. It was a time of late to bed and early to rise, with each day filled with more activity than there were hours in the day to get it all done. Most all of the activity was good and were things I was looking forward to, but the pace left me rather low on both physical and emotional energy. As I was praying about how I was feeling the Spirit put upon my heart the song “Give Thanks” by Henry Smith.

“Give thanks with a grateful heart,

Give thanks to the Holy One,

Give thanks because He’s given

Jesus Christ, His Son.

And now let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’

Let the poor say, ‘I am rich because of what the Lord Has done for us.’

Give thanks. Give thanks.”   CCLI #2303

For the rest of the day I made that song my prayer and as I prayed back to the Lord the song that He had put on my heart, He filled me with a renewed sense of His grace and peace; He gave me energy and strength; and He met my needs in ways that I might not have even thought to ask.

During the month of November I encourage you to take time to remember, and even write down, all of the reasons you have to give the Lord thanks. And then take time each day to give Him thanks for who He is in creation, for who He is in your life and for all that He has done for you.

Giving thanks to the Lord; it’s such a simple thing to do but it brings us in line with God’s will and it sets His power loose in our lives like nothing else can.

With Thanksgiving,

Mark