The popular television show “The Simpsons” often highlights the absurdity of human behavior. It tackles everything from family systems, workplace culture, and church practices. Although irreverent in its depiction of religious faith, the show challenges us to look at our spiritual lives and the motivation behind our faithful actions.
In one episode, the troublemaker son, Bart, is asked to pray before dinner. Bart bows his head and prays, “Dear Lord. We paid for this with our own money, so thanks for nothing! Amen.” We may bristle at such a sacrilegious prayer, which is precisely the point.
The intent of the scene is to make us uncomfortable and to question our own practice of thanksgiving. What constitutes true thanksgiving?
As we head into the celebration of Thanksgiving, this is an important question to ask. Is thanksgiving simply a glorification of our own stuff, bought or produced by our own skill and prowess?
Do we ever miss the mark by seeing Thanksgiving as a day defined by pumpkins and gourds alone? Does God get only a passing mention as we make our way through turkey dinner and pumpkin pie?
Scripture reminds us that the act of thanksgiving is, first and foremost, an expression of worship. Rather than focusing on the activity of our lives, we are called to focus on the activity of God in our midst.
Thanksgiving calls us to a deep act of praise, which grounds our lives in God’s presence. Ultimately, we give thanks and praise because our lives are immersed in the goodness, love, and faithfulness of God.
1. We Give Thanks Because God Is Good
There are many Psalms that root the act of thanksgiving in the goodness of the Lord. Psalm 106 begins, “Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.” Similarly, Psalms 107, 118, and 136 all contain the phrase, “O give thanks to the Lord for he is good.”
The goodness of God is stated as a fact. It is not a belief or a theological doctrine, nor is it merely the opinion of those who are religious or spiritual. God’s goodness is a foundation of who God is.
It can be easy to see God’s goodness as some type of philosophical abstraction. God is good insofar as there is no evil or sin within God’s nature and being. This is, of course, true. The danger, however, is that we see God’s goodness as removed from our lives.
Or, when life zigs when we want it to zag, we may believe that God’s goodness has been removed from us. This is never the case. Times of struggle or difficulty are not a denial of God’s goodness. God’s goodness remains because God is good all the time.
The reality of God’s goodness opens our hearts to praise, rejoicing, and prayer. Paul writes that we are “not to be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
God’s goodness means that we are assured of the Lord’s presence with us. Because we live our lives in God’s good presence, we can be confident in bringing our requests, anxieties, and worries to God. God’s goodness assures us that God’s power is at work in deeper ways than we can imagine.
Thanksgiving, therefore, is about more than just saying thank you. Thanksgiving is an internal movement of the soul whereby we recognize that God’s goodness surrounds us.
This means we dare to believe that God’s activity in our lives is ultimately for our benefit, even if we don’t understand it.
God’s vision for our lives is always the best vision of what our lives could be. Thanksgiving is a radical decision to affirm the goodness of God in the life that we experience today.
2. We Give Thanks Because God Is Loving
God’s goodness is inseparable from God’s love. Each of the Psalms mentioned above, for example, concludes the statement of God’s goodness with the words “and his steadfast love endures forever.”
Scripture defines God’s love for us as an “everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). God’s love cannot be discredited, denied, or dismissed.
Just as God’s goodness is the foundation of God’s nature and being, so too is God’s love. “God is love,” writes John (1 John 4:16). Ultimately, this is revealed in the person of Jesus. Jesus is the very incarnation of love, and his presence and activity are the constant expressions of divine love.
Although we may talk often about God’s love, many find this truth hard to accept. Yet Christ’s love is written in blood and stamped on the cross. It is undeniable and unstoppable.
Do you fear that God doesn’t love you? Do you fear that there is something in your life that stands in the way of God’s love just making its way into your life? Scripture is filled with triumphant expressions of God’s unyielding love for us.
Paul writes, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). This is God’s enduring covenant towards us. This is the truth spoken over your life.
As God’s precious children, made in God’s own image, we can be confident and assured of God’s love for us. God’s love isn’t a mere emotion, a mood that will come and go.
God’s love is God’s continuous and active reaching out to us. God’s love for us is the basis of our very life, and because of that love, we can give thanks.
3. We Give Thanks Because God Is Faithful
As if God’s goodness and love were not enough, Scripture also highlights God’s faithfulness as a reason for thanksgiving. Psalm 100:5 says that God’s “faithfulness continues throughout all generations.”
God’s faithfulness means that God will always act in a way that is consistent with who God is, as revealed in Jesus. It means that we can trust that there is no place in our lives where God will not be with us; there is no path we walk where God will not journey beside us.
Furthermore, like God’s goodness and love, God’s faithfulness is enduring. God’s faithfulness cannot be denied. Even though we may prove unfaithful at times, God’s faithfulness is consistent.
Scripture reminds us that “the saying is true . . . If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:11,13). God is faithful to God’s goodness towards us; God is faithful to God’s love for us.
The goodness, love, and faithfulness of God do not change with the external circumstances of our lives. They are rooted in the truth of who God is. Thus, these three realities of God’s work and presence give us hope and encouragement in our spiritual lives.
We can give thanks at all times and in all circumstances because we know that God’s own will for our lives, in some way, is being worked out (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Where have you seen God’s goodness in your life? When have you felt God’s love? Where have your recognized God’s faithfulness towards you? These truths become the foundation of our life with God.
We don’t follow a Lord based on theological precepts or attributions; we follow a savior who saves and who touches our lives with goodness.
We follow a Lord who embraces us in love and who is faithful unto the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Given these glorious truths, how can we not give thanks?
For further reading:
Can We Really Give Thanks in All Things Like 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Says?
15 Things Jesus and His Disciples Taught Us about Gratitude and Giving Thanks
20 Prayers of Gratitude to Give Thanks to God
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/netrun78
The Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman is the Rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral, located in Kamloops BC, Canada. He holds a doctorate in Spiritual formation and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and retreat leader. His writing can be found at Christianity.com, crosswalk.com, ibelieve.com, Renovare Canada, and many others. He also maintains his own blog revkylenorman.ca. He has 20 years of pastoral experience, and his ministry focuses on helping people overcome times of spiritual discouragement.