GRATEFUL HEART AND THANKFUL LIFE (1)

“I WILL PRAISE YOU, O Lord, with MY WHOLE HEART; I will tell of all Your marvelous works” – Psalm 9:1

Cultivating a GRATEFUL HEART and THANKFUL LIFE is evidence of Spiritual Maturity: “I WILL PRAISE YOU, O Lord, with MY WHOLE HEART; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High” (Psa.9:1-2). David, the Psalmist constantly demonstrated the grace of a Grateful Heart. To be thankful with our Whole Heart matters much to God, when we consider all His marvellous works. Here, David depicts times in life when it’s easy to be thankful; when all seems to be going well – enough provisions to meet our needs, sound health, mutually enriching relationships, and other signs of victorious living.

This psalm illustrates how being thankful in the Living God, the Source of all Joy and Blessings, heightens the enjoyment of the good seasons in life. Being thankful in such seasons reminds us to enjoy the moment, knowing that life isn’t always like this. Sweet times don’t stay around 365 days a year. So, when we’re in one, it’s wise to enjoy it, share it, be glad in it, and sing grateful praises to God. The enjoyment, relishing, sharing, singing, and praising all heighten the enjoyment and help to cement them in our heart so that in the difficult seasons we have a reservoir of pleasant memories, experience, and faith to help see us through. Being thankful provides strength to forge through tough times.

Being grateful with the “whole heart” implies that thanksgiving is no halfway, lukewarm emotion. It’s a nothing-held-back, no-reservation, clapping, full-body-gestures kind of thing. When we’re thankful we can’t keep it to our self, we need to tell others. David’s words reflected his awesome experience of joy and a heart overflowing with thanks. The rest of the psalm describes why he was so thankful and eager to tell what God had done, and sing His praise. God had given him victory over his enemies and the wicked. He praised the Lord for being a reliable stronghold for the oppressed, Who never forgets the cry of the afflicted: “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You” (vv.9-10).

Being thankful should be part of the Believer’s daily life: ^“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1The.5:18). When we cultivate grateful hearts through active meditation in God’s Word, communion with the Holy Spirit, and daily practice of the Attitude of Gratitude, we would experience immeasurable benefits. Imbibing an Attitude of Gratitude makes all the difference in everything we experience. Being thankful or not is ultimately a function of our Attitude; hence, the words “thank, thankful, and thanksgiving” abound in the scriptures, consistently encouraging us to express thanks!