What are Prayers of Thanksgiving?
“Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” (Psalm 107:8-9). This verse encourages us to pray and thank God for what He has done for us. And to do that is to pray prayers of thanksgiving.
But how? What are prayers of thanksgiving? Well, they are…
Directed Towards God and express Gratitude for His Grace and Provision
Where prayers of worship thank God for who He is, prayers of thanksgiving thank God for what He has done. God creates life and sustains it. History is the story of how humanity responds to God’s grace. Either through rebellion and defiance or surrender and thankfulness.
The Bible is filled with commands and encouragement to thank God for everything. Here are some things you can thank God for in your prayers of thanksgiving:
- His goodness and mercy (Ps. 68:19)
- The gift of Jesus, that is the Gospel (2 Corinthians 9:15)
- Jesus’ power and reign over everything ((rev. 11:17)
- The reception and work of the Gospel in others’ lives (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
- Deliverance from hard times (Ps. 31:7)
- Deliverance from sin (Romans 7:23-25)
- Victory over death and the grave (1 Corinthians 15:57)
- Wisdom and Might (Daniel 2:23)
- The Nearness of God’s Presence (Ps. 75:1)
- Supply of bodily wants and needs like food, water, etc. (Romans 14:6-7; 1 Timothy 4:3-4)
- etc.
Simply put, count your blessings. Then, turn every blessing into a prayer of thanksgiving.
A Warning and Some Encouragement
The Pharisees’ prayers of thanksgiving became, “Thank you I am not like these others” (Luke 18:11). That is not a prayer of thanksgiving. Rather, it is a prayer of pride. And hardly a prayer at all.
But how do we not let our prayers of thanksgiving rot into prayers of pride? Well,
- Remember every blessing comes from God. So, every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights (James 1:17). and…
- You are blessed to bless others (Zechariah 8:13). That is, we are not to hoard our blessings selfishly like a dragon hoards gold. Rather, we are to freely give what we have freely received from God (Matthew 10:8).
In prayer, the Pharisees compared their lives to those around them instead of the standard God had set before them. If we pray with our mind on who God is (prayers of worship), our prayers of thanksgiving will remain humble and will not rot into pride.
Conclusion: Prayers of Thanksgiving
Throughout the Old and New Testament, scattered across the pages, from men to women to children, throughout ages of history prayers of thanksgiving have been offered to God. Even creation gives thanks to God!
Why? Because God deserves it because he provides for us, sustains us, makes us alive through the gospel. My friends, we are called and encouraged to give thanks to God. So shout with thanksgiving!
The truth is in preparing to write this, I’ve realized we don’t thank God enough. People in the Bible thanked God all the time for everything–big and small. We must learn from them to honor God with thanksgiving.
So, let your prayers be soaked in worship and saturated with thanksgiving. And take a moment, right now, to pray from your heart this prayer: “Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. Amen.”
