Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Psalms 100:4 (NKJV)
If you want to sense the presence of God, start with thankfulness.
On rough days we may think, “Well, I have nothing to be thankful for.” But truthfully, we always do. We just need to make a choice—we can focus on the problems in our life or focus on God and give thanks for all that we have in Him.
You see, even in the midst of deep hurt, true loss or grieving we hold the power to choose gratitude. Now we certainly aren’t thankful for pain or losses. But despite them, we can be thankful for an ever-present God who loves us and never leaves us. In the middle of whatever it is we’re dealing with, God is right by our side, in the thick of it with us.
Now, happiness in life comes from happenings. It’s the activities we enjoy, like going for coffee, bowling or taking vacations. But joy has a different source. Gratefulness has a way of kindling joy deep within us so that even in the midst of heartache, we can say, “Father, I choose you. God, you’re so good.” Consciously choosing to speak words of thankfulness causes your spirit to stir upward towards the hope and encouragement found in Jesus.
The world without Christ knows a discouragement so deep, it feels hopeless. But as believers, even on our hardest days, we still have Jesus. That can fuel our souls with the greatest hope and is something to be thankful for!
Learn to be thankful every day to God and for the people around you. And don’t be shy to express it! When we begin to focus on thankfulness, it makes a heart-changing difference!