Recently on our world political stage the question of thankfulness has arisen. Is one nation thankful to another? Leaving behind the world situation we turn to our own small lives, do we show enough thankfulness, especially to God?
Children who have been brought up well, at an early stage are taught to say to say ‘please’ and ‘thankyou,’ Have you said to your own child or heard it said, ‘What’s the magic word?, ‘ hoping for a thankyou or please from them. It seems it is no longer expected for a child to say thankyou for a birthday or Christmas present. Sad. Should they still receive the gift, I ask myself? Even with declining manners we still like people to hold the door open for us or we let someone go before us in a queue..
Do these declining trends mean we don’t give thanks to God who has given us everything? God has given us every blessing to enjoy. Read the psalms, The Psalmist has gratitude flowing out of him. ‘Praise the Lord, O my soul, let all that is within me praise His holy name.’ Psalm 103:1. We look at the many hymns praising God ”Oh for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemer’s praise.’ Written by Charles Wesley and maybe prompted by Psalm 35:28. He sounds completely overwhelmed with praise and thanksgiving to God.
Some people keep a praise diary, others sing in lofty cathedrals. My dictionary tells me the word ‘praise’ is ‘high approval’, ‘laudation,’ ‘worship.’ ‘to express approval of,’ ‘to glorify.’ That doesn’t cover a fraction of our praise and thanks to God.