Thanks for Being Awesome
- Alisen Bigerton
- May 23
- 2 min read
“Giving thanks, confessing our wrongs, and speaking of God's goodness usher us into the presence of our loving Father.”
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give Thanks to Him and praise His name.” Psalm 100:4 NLT
In trying to find a direction for this devotional, I looked at how my study Bible defines some of the Hebrew. The word for thanksgiving is todah, which “refers to concrete declarations of thanksgiving in the context of worship, often by way of song or sacrifice… statements of His greatness and exaltation accompany the thanks”. The word for praise also means confess, and it is yada. It “signifies speaking out loud the praiseworthiness of God… It can also refer to the verbal confession of sins and wrongs. In some contexts, the elements of praise and confession are combined”.
This verse really just lays out instructions on entering God's presence. We don't have to offer animal sacrifices like the Israelites did as a part of their worship, but we can offer the sacrifice of wholehearted and specific praise, of time, of our very lives lived in accordance with God's will. We can sing God's praises during our daily lives.
We don't go to a temple with gates and courts like the Israelites did, but we do go to churches. In my opinion, Sunday mornings are the enemy's favorite time to attack. But when the chaos of trying to get everyone ready and out the door is happening, we can thank God. We can walk into church with praise on our lips, reminding ourselves of how good God is and how blessed we are to be able to attend church freely.
Giving thanks, confessing our wrongs, and speaking of God's goodness usher us into the presence of our loving Father. They take our eyes off of this world and place our focus on Him. They affirm our trust, and gratitude can literally rewire our brains. So whether in happiness or heartache, whether bringing joyous gratitude or a hard-fought hallelujah, you can bring God your thanks and honesty and receive His grace.
Action Step:
Practice gratitude. Every day, write down 3 things you are grateful for, no matter how insignificant they may seem, and thank God for them. And when you fail-because as humans, we will-confess and ask for help going forward.
Prayer: God, You are so good and so generous to us. The world is full of beautiful things You didn't have to give us or let us experience. And yet, contentment is a struggle. Sometimes we don't feel thankful, we don't feel like You're as good as people say, and we're ashamed to come to You after we’ve messed up. Will You help us to live beyond our feelings and trust with every fiber of our beings in who You say You are? May gratefulness and humility always be our posture toward You, and may You cleanse us of our unrighteousness and make us more like You. Amen.
Written by Alisen, mom of 1