Thanking God allows us a hopeful view of the future. If God has given us good things in the past, can’t we expect more from Him in the future? The blessings of the past are a foretaste of the blessings to come. That was Paul’s view when he wrote “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.” Romans 8:18-19. Paul could not have this optimistic attitude towards present sufferings if he did not also acknowledge God’s goodness in his current situation. Only when we notice what God has given us today is good, can we expect it to continue being good tomorrow. Terri Guillemets wrote “As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world.” When we see the grace that God gives us in the past, each day becomes a sunrise on a bright new beginning.
Third, thanksgiving is a convenient bridge from praise to confession and petition. As we turn earthward in our prayers, we do it with the knowledge that God has already expressed an interested in our well-being. It is no problem to expect God to answer our prayers for our needs if we see all that happens to us being part of our hand. Otherwise, how can we believe fully and trust fully in his provision tomorrow? Taking our eyes off Him long enough to glance towards our problems will lead us to worry and regret, unless God is with us when we look.
Giving thanks causes us to see the world through God’s eyes, as an expression of His nature. Our problems have a way of overcoming us, when we are besieged by worry and doubt. But when we see the difficulties of today in from the perspective of a benevolent God, we come to view them as faith.
Use your imagination today. What if there we no reason to fear anything about the future? What if today existed purely for your enjoyment? Instead of worrying about where your food will come from tomorrow, only enjoy today. Instead of worrying about sickness tomorrow, enjoy your health today. Instead of worrying about your children, enjoy them. Enjoy your wife, your husband, your home, your job. Enjoy them with the assurance that tomorrow the same loving God who gave your good things today will give you good things tomorrow.
Thank God for the answers to prayer He is going to give you later.
Praise and thanksgiving are the twin bridges that span the gap between us and God’s blessings.
Dear Father, thank you for tomorrow, because tomorrow is in your hands. I know that tomorrow, You will bring even greater blessings than you have given me today.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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