Practicing Thankfulness Every Day

When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

–Psalm 63:6–7

Regularly expressing gratitude fixes our affections on God, the giver of every good gift. Let me suggest two practices to help you get into the habit of thanking Him for everything He’s done.

First of all, begin and end every day expressing gratitude to God. When we get up in the morning, it’s easy for us to roll out of bed and get started on all the things we have to do. So before your feet hit the ground, take a minute to lie there and thank God for His blessings in your life: Thank You for the job I’m about to go to that provides an income for me and my family. Thank You for my health. Thank You for my family. Thank You for giving me the breath of life this morning. If you spend the first minute of the day giving thanks to God, it will color your attitude for the rest of the day.

In the same way, before you drift off to sleep at night, express gratitude to God for what He’s done for you that day: Thank You for helping me make this decision. Thank You for saving me from that possible accident. Thank You for putting this person in my life today. I guarantee you’ll sleep better when you drift off to sleep praising God.

In Psalm 63:6–7, David described this practice: “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.” David made his bed an altar from which he offered sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to God. Remember, David’s bed had been the scene of his greatest failure against God–his sin with Bathsheba. But he found God’s forgiveness and transformed his bed from a place of sin into a place of praise. I encourage you, too, to begin and end every day giving thanks to God.

Second, demonstrate gratitude in practical ways. Are you grateful for the material blessings God has given you? Consider giving an extra gift to God’s work through the church to express your gratitude to Him. Has somebody invested in you spiritually or vocationally? Pick up the phone or send that person an email to say thank you. Are you grateful for your mate? Offer to take care of a task for them so they can spend time doing whatever they’d like to do. Learning to demonstrate gratitude in practical ways helps you learn to make gratitude a consistent part of your life.

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Today’s devotion is adapted from “Count Blessings, Not Sheep” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2012.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.