THE PROVISION OF THANKING

PRAISE INSPIRATION:

21 THANK the Lord for His faithful love and for the amazing things He does for people. 22 Offer sacrifices of THANKS to Him. Sing with joy about all that He has done. - Psalm 107:21-22 ‭(ERV)

PRAISE REVELATION:

When we look around our world today, we notice a lack of gratefulness and appreciation among this generation. Why are we not more THANKFUL for the things we do have, in comparison to the things we lack? Is it just human nature to be critical or to have a negative attitude? Even though everyone has to take accountability for their actions and reactions, we have to admit that the information we ingest from social media and current news tends to fuel the fire of negativity. Every time you turn on the television or watch a program online, there is talk about fear, panic, and disillusionment. Negativity is all around us, and what is even worse, it's taken root inside of us! Look at the miracle of technology. We can do things that we never imagined before in generations passed. Even some of the complicated computer classes we used to take in school, we've reduced to easy finger taps on a small device that we hold in our hands, called a smartphone. We should be grateful for this technology. In fact, it seems that the potential is limitless, however, the more technology we create, the more anxious we become! We want everything fast, overnight, and shipped to our doorstep. This has definitely helped a lot of people during this uncontrollable outbreak of the Coronavirus. Consequently, fear and anxiety is attached to daily searching and scrolling on our mobile devices. What if we could get back to being thankful for what we have, instead of focusing on what we don't have? What if we could wake up every day with a grateful heart, instead of flooding our minds with an overload of global concerns? David understood the provision of thankfulness. Even as little children, we are taught by our parents to say "thank you" when food is provided for us on the table. We used to teach our children to say their prayers at night before they went to bed to say "thank you" to their Heavenly Father for all of His goodness towards us. You could say that thankfulness is a lost art, especially in our faith-based communities and congregations. If you have ever been generous to someone or have gone out of your way to show someone favor, you understand the power of a simple "thank you." If God has been our provider, then we should show Him thanks. Supernatural provision often inspires a heart of thanksgiving and gratitude, as we thank God for providing what we need, beyond measure. Thankfulness has the power to create an attitude of praise that unlocks heaven's resources and opens doors of opportunity. The Hebrew term for this powerful disposition is "todah" תודה, which is how Israelis say "thank you" in modern culture. "Todah" is actually an ancient biblical term, used by Israel's patriarchs, prophets, and native-born people, to refer to thanksgiving offerings they gave to God, in the Tabernacle of Moses, and the first and second Temples in Jerusalem. This Hebrew term actually comes from the first Hebrew word we learned this week, "yadah" ידה, which means to ״praise.״ So at the core of every "thank you" is a sincere heart of praise. It unlocks every door and opens up heaven's windows so that God can pour out His blessing upon us. Let's continue our seven days of praise with a greater appreciation of thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father!

PRAISE DECLARATIONS:

1. We declare thankfulness in our hearts and in our homes this season.

2. We declare God‘s goodness as we remember all the things that He has done for us and for our families.