Survival Guide for the Soul by Ken Shigematsu

Author:Ken Shigematsu
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2018-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

Thanksgiving as a Portal into the Presence of God

Even if you already think of yourself as a grateful person, we all need to be reminded again and again to give thanks—and to continue to cultivate a heart of thanksgiving. We see this invitation to give thanks repeated throughout the Bible. For instance:

• The psalmist says: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4).

• David says, “Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2).

• The apostle Paul says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

• Jesus gives thanks to his Father in heaven before breaking the bread to feed the multitudes (Mark 6:41; 8:6).

Part of what it means to walk in the way of Jesus is to savor the good gifts that we receive and to give thanks to God for those gifts. As we do this, we nurture a heart of gratitude and humility. If you’re in the mood for an experiment, take a twenty-four-hour period, and every time you meet people, criticize them or complain about something. You will notice that people will begin to feel alienated from you, and they may even lean away from you as you criticize them, whine, or complain.

Then pick another twenty-four-hour period, and whenever you meet people, thank them or compliment them. At the coffee shop, you might say to the barista, “That is an amazing white leaf you created!” You’ll notice that people are leaning toward you, maybe even literally, as they savor your words of appreciation and affirmation.

So it is when we give thanks to God. We will find God’s presence feels nearer to us.9 Even though God is everywhere, the Bible tells us that God mysteriously inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3). When we thank and praise God, his presence inhabits our lives more and more. We might think of thanksgiving as a portal to the presence of God.

To be clear, it is okay to complain to God (Psalm 13), even to scream and shake your fist like Job. God can handle our emotional honesty. But if the only way we communicate with God is by complaining, cursing, or whining, we will feel alienated from God. Conversely, when we take time to thank God and affirm his goodness, we will draw closer to him. And as we draw closer to God, enjoying his presence and the gift of his friendship, we will be transformed.

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