How to start, that is the question. How do we start a conversation with family, friends, co-workers, or God? Those opening words create an atmosphere for everything else to rise upon. Over the years, especially in prayer with God, I’ve learned to start with “Thanks.”
Psalm 100 is a relatively short psalm subtitled A Psalm of Thanksgiving. “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.” (Psalm 100, NLT) The key for us today is found in the middle of the psalm – “Enter his gates with thanksgiving.”
Starting a conversation or prayer with thanks checks our attitude. It’s perhaps all too common to start from an attitude of offense. We are bothered by something. Perhaps we are frustrated, anxious, or angry about something or with someone. We may also come from a place of hopelessness or despair. While those feelings may be real, by making our first step of thanksgiving, we are placing those feelings in the broader context of God’s goodness and love.
Over the years, I’ve learned to start my prayers with thanksgiving. Sometimes, it is thanking God for who He is, for life, breath, and His love and grace. But I also start with a note of thanks when praying for others. Giving thanks lifts our eyes from ourselves and allows us to see others as God sees them. And yes, sometimes it is hard.
It may be hard to give thanks when our need is overwhelming us. It may be painful to give thanks when someone’s bad attitude and habits are glaring at us. It may seem impossible to find any good to offer thanks for. Sometimes, our thanksgiving is an offering that costs us something. That is the picture behind Psalm 100. As worshipers entered the gates of the temple, they offered something as a token of thanks, such as a bit of grain, bread, or coin. Sometimes, the offering is our own bad attitude as we seek to enter into His courts with thanksgiving.
Thank you, Jesus, for the folks who read these words. Thank you for being their Lord and Savior. Thank you Jesus, for all of the things (large and small) that these folks do in your kingdom and the sacrifice of love they freely give to others.
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