“In everything give thanks” is God’s command to every believer (1 Thess. 5:18). We must be told this because by nature we are not thankful people. It is more natural for sinners like us to complain and be ungrateful. Regrettably, Jerry Bridges is correct when he writes, “We are anxious to receive but too careless to give thanks. We pray for God’s intervention in our lives, then congratulate ourselves rather than God for the results.” Therefore, we must discipline ourselves to practice the discipline of thanksgiving.
Maintaining an attitude of thanksgiving expressed through constant prayer provides at least six benefits.
Thankful Prayer Reminds us that God is our Provider (1 Tim. 4:4–5). Scripture teaches that all food is from God and therefore should be recognized as such by offering a prayer of thanksgiving to him: “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer” (1 Tim. 4:4–5). Jesus even modeled this for us in the account of the miraculous feeding of 5,000 men and their families. The gospel of John is careful to note that before Jesus
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