Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. —Psalm 106:1
When Louise and I go through the old prayer list (I’ve kept it—lest we ever forget), we now run through the same petitions only to say, “Thank You, Lord, for the way You have worked.” Most of these petitions have been answered. Never have we felt so grateful to God. And yet we make sure that we never, never, never forget but always remember to tell Him how thankful we are.
Again and again comes the injunction: give thanks.
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. —1 Chronicles 16:8
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. —1 Chronicles 16:34
With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord, “for his love endures forever.” —1 Chronicles 16:41
One of the great kings of the Old Testament was Hezekiah. “Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him” (2 Kings 18:5). It is said that “he succeeded in everything he undertook” (2 Chron. 32:30). Part of the explanation for Hezekiah’s greatness and prosperity was that he assigned priests and Levites to offer burnt offerings and “to give thanks” (2 Chron. 31:2).
It is a matter of remembering. It is so easy to forget, but I for one do not want to come to the end of my years with blushing over not remembering to give thanks to the Lord. Just tell Him! He likes to hear it. We will never be sorry, and doing it promises that one day we will hear from the lips of Jesus Himself, “Well done.” Be assured He will remember to say it.
Excerpted from Just Say Thanks! (Charisma House, 2005).
