Gratitude for God Faithfulness

Count what you have before you count what you lack. The rent got paid this month; you are not sure how, but it did. Somebody drove you to PGI at midnight. A child passed the exam you were afraid of. This message is about thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness: in the past, in the present, and in the future.

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good, and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.”

1. Thanksgiving for God’s Past Faithfulness

Look back over your life honestly and you will find the fingerprints of God on every page.

Psalm 136:1: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” Deuteronomy 8:2 tells Israel to remember the whole way the Lord led them through the wilderness for forty years. Remembering is a discipline. It does not happen by accident.

So sit down and remember. The job that came when there was nothing. The illness that turned. The person who paid your fees and never told anyone. Gratitude goes to God first, and then to the people He used, the ones who sacrificed, supported and blessed you. Have you ever thanked them?

Remember:

• We come from different places, languages and backgrounds, but God has united us in Christ.
• The church stands because of Jesus, not because of us. Matthew 16:18: “The gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
• Prayer keeps us connected to God’s power. A prayerless church is a powerless church.

2. Thanksgiving for God’s Present Grace

The true measure of a church is not the number in the hall but the presence of God in it.

God has given His church grace to worship and grace to serve, today, in this building, with these people. Do not count heads. Some Sundays the hall is full; some Sundays it is raining and half the chairs are empty. His presence is the measure of success, not the attendance register.

Key reflection:

• Be thankful for the grace that is carrying you today, not only for yesterday’s miracles.
• Stop looking at numbers. Look for God’s presence.

3. Thanksgiving for God’s Future Faithfulness

The God who was faithful yesterday has not changed His character for tomorrow.

You may be facing a storm right now. Depression that sits on your chest in the morning. Suffering in the body. Pain in the family. Remember:

• God will stand with you.
• He began a good work in you and He will finish it (Philippians 1:6).
• Our part is to pray and stay in fellowship; the rest is in God’s hands.

God’s faithfulness is worth celebrating in advance. Thank Him now for what He has not yet done.

4. A Call to Renew Our Commitment

Fix your eyes on Jesus, because He is the one who started your faith and He will finish it.

Hebrews 12:1-2: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” God holds our tomorrow. So we keep moving forward in faith, whatever comes.

Lessons from the ten lepers (Luke 17:12-14):

• Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priest before anything had changed in their skin.
• Luke says, “as they went, they were cleansed.” The change came while they were obeying.
• Likewise, do not stop walking because of depression, failure, heartbreak or disappointment. Keep moving with Jesus. We pray for the sick, we obey what He has said, and we trust Him with what happens on the road.

Only one of the ten came back to say thank you. Be the one.

Final Encouragement

Our labour in the Lord is not in vain, and our future is secure in His hands.

God is faithful: past, present and future. Let us do something for Jesus this year, because He holds our tomorrow.

This week

• Write a list of ten things God has done for you in the last year and read it aloud in family prayer.
• Thank one person who helped you when you had nothing: a call, a visit, a plate of food.
• Before you ask God for anything this week, spend the first five minutes of prayer only giving thanks.

May the faithful God who carried you this far carry you into everything He has planned. God bless you abundantly.