What Does God Say About Being Thankful?

Before we get too deep into how to praise God in the storm and being thankful to God for what He has done in our lives despite challenges and suffering, I'd like us to first understand what God says about being thankful. God has a lot to say about being thankful.  Here is a new one of my favorites: "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." -Romans 1:21 This scripture makes me think about how we may know God, but if we don't worship Him and thank Him for what He has given us, we are likely to become more concerned with ourselves and focus on what we lack.  This leads us into a dark place where we imagine all sorts of troubles which can steal our joy.  The darkness conceals our blessings so that all we have left within our field of vision are our struggles. This is something I struggle with.  When I get overwhelmed or frustrated or angry, I can usually joke my way out of my funk and still praise God until that feeling comes to a tipping point or lasts too long.  I can usually fight off a negative feeling for a short time, but when I get my feet knocked out from under me after having been blindsided a few times in a row for several years, it gets more difficult.  That's when I begin to see the negative in everything.  That's when I find it hard to give thanks to the Lord for the good things I have that I can no longer see because I am focusing my eyes on what's wrong with my life. Being in a prolonged period of struggle where I find more negative than positive in my life means my communication with others suffers as well.  Frustration, sadness and anger makes for harsh words, short tempers and selective hearing. For those of you who struggle with chronic illness, prolonged financial issues or drawn out family difficulties, I pray that this series will help you too.  Know that I am reminding myself of these tips as I share them with you. Do you have any favorite scriptures on Thankfulness? Please comment and share them here. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ If you liked this post, read…Seven Reasons Why YOU Should Sign Up for the Art of Eloquence Newsletter!