The Types of Thankfulness
Often, thanks are given or held toward God throughout the Bible for reasons other than his provisions, the things he provides for us. King David is seen throughout his Psalms, in the Chronicles and in the book of 2 Samuel giving thanks to God for simply being God. Thankful that His mercies endure forever, thankful that He is good, giving thanks for His marvelous works that do not apply to David. Giving thanks and remembrance of His Holy name.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
Psalm 97:12 (NKJV)
Thankfulness is also given for provision and blessing, like Daniel, who gave thanks at his window three times a day to God. In Amos, offering a sacrifice toward God in thanksgiving for His works. In Jonah, giving thanks to God that salvation belongs to God, and all throughout the New Testament for many different reasons.
Thanksgiving is also shown throughout the Bible in a unique way, that it should not just be given and then left behind, like in Leviticus 7, that the thanks offering that was given to God should be used and not left to be wasted. This carries an important point that thankfulness is not just a simple action that you do and then move on, but constantly giving thanks intentionally, of your own free will, and not let your thankfulness become old or dry like food forgotten in the fridge. To truly show thankfulness has many, many different values, but one is that it does not forget or let it become dry.
29 And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will.
Leviticus 22:29 (NKJV)
Thanksgiving is given in many different ways, the most common that Christians use is prayer, just like Jesus did, to give thanks to the Father through prayer. Thanksgiving is also given in many other ways, through singing and praise, remembrance of God’s works, declaration of God’s power, and through generosity. Thankfulness isn’t always shown through just expressing it in words and praise, but also in sharing it with others and with God. Thanksgiving is often an outward expression, but it is always an internal value. Thanksgiving is shown most honestly when thankfulness is held dearly within your heart.
There are many different types of thanksgiving and thankfulness shown throughout Scripture. Having thankfulness and gladness of heart, which speaks to a deeper gladness than just being happy or routinely thankful. Whenever the temple of God was built or rebuilt, celebrations with thanks offerings and songs of thanks and worship were held for days and even weeks outside the temple, and all the people were “glad of heart.” A large portion of David’s ministry, and his entire life, was rooted in thankfulness and thanksgiving paired with praise and worship. Just like in 1 Chronicles 16:4 where David appoints Levites over the ark of the covenant to worship and commemorate (to remember or bring remembrance), to praise, and to thank the God of Israel.
4 And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel
1 Chronicles 16:4 (NKJV)
Another translation of this says, “to invoke His blessings” instead of “to commemorate.” The translation from Hebrew to English text of this word more accurately translates as an act of remembrance, to bring remembrance of something or someone. This is also an act of thanksgiving, to remember or bring forth remembrance of the things God has done. This is one of the most important types of thankfulness shown in Scripture, thankfulness and gladness of the heart. To truly have and to hold thankfulness toward the Lord deep within yourself.
In 1 Chronicles 16:7-36, David delivered a Psalm to the chief Levite over the Ark. David uses this Psalm as a praise of thanksgiving, giving thanks to the Lord for multiple reasons; to make known His works to the people, to bring remembrance of what God has done and who He is, to remember His wonders and His judgements, to sing praises and talk about His great works, to give Glory to His name, and to rejoice in seeking His face. In verses 34-36, he simply gives thanks to God that He is good, and to ask for salvation and deliverance just so the people can give thanks even more for those things also. This entire Psalm may appear to be many different things; praise, worship, remembrance, thanksgiving…but the entire point of this Psalm, and all the praise and remembrance within in, are just part of the thanksgiving aspect of the whole things. The thanksgiving acts that David delivers is more than just a “thank you,” it’s part of and full of praise and glorifying God for who He is and what He’s done. David was a man after God’s own heart, and in that he understood there was more to giving thanks to the Powerful God of Israel than thanking Him for doing something but lifting Him on high above all things just for being God and yet still putting His favor on David and his people.
David’s Song of Thanksgiving
7 On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord:
8 Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
1 Chronicles 16:7-8 (NKJV)
Thanksgiving is not always an act of worship, it is not always encapsulated in praise, blessing and remembrance. The same goes for worship, as much of our worship today focuses more on lifting God up, proclaiming His name and His works, asking for blessing and His presence with us, and boasting on the Mighty Power of God. These are all wonderful and important parts of worship, but it is missing one of the most important aspects of worship--thanksgiving. Some of us will even worship with ungratefulness, or a lack of gratefulness, in our hearts, and this can be troublesome for our spiritual growth. God wants us to be thankful for what He has done, in our lives and in the world. This is another type of thankfulness, to lift up praise and to worship God with a thankful heart and give Him thanks. The Church and Christians alike should put more importance and effort into thankfulness and thanksgiving in praise and worship. God wants us to be thankful, and He blesses those who are grateful in heart for what He does for them more than He does for those who are not.
13 “Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name.
1 Chronicles 29:13 (NKJV)
At the end of 1 Chronicles, one of David’s last praises to God, he blesses the Lord, remembers His greatness, and declares His power and glory and victory. In 1 Chronicles 29:13, he thanks the Lord again and praises His name. The theme of this prayer of praise is the same as before, the entire prayer is David giving thanks to God through praise, thanksgiving, humility, and blessing. He tells the whole assembly of people there to bless the Lord, to adorn and bow before the Lord. Then the people made Solomon king a second time and they ate and drank before the Lord with great gladness. David’s whole life, though filled with praise and worship and many other aspects of him seeking the Lord, has been entirely based on thankfulness and thanksgiving. To be thankful to the Lord for everything and to give thanks as an act of praise, service, and adornment, and to live with a heart of great gladness for the Lord and toward the Lord.
So, I ask myself quite regularly; why do I have to keep reminding myself to be thankful? Shouldn’t it just be ingrained into our hearts and never have to think and just… be? But look throughout the books in the Bible, long term thankfulness has never been a feeling that always floats on top of all the feelings we live with in our lives. We have so many emotions and thoughts about the situations in our lives; joy, sadness, need and abundance, worry, anxiety, regret, anger, etc. Thankfulness in the moment is on top of everything when it replaces these things because of what we have received. But thankfulness can become clouded over time whether we remember or forget. The people in the Bible, as we should today, constantly remind themselves to be thankful and to give thanks. Not because they weren’t thankful and then just decided to be, but to live with a heart of remembrance for why you are thankful. Just like all the situations in my life, I can choose to put my thankfulness on the back burner to everything I see or feel. To let my eyes or my emotions take the lead in what I desire. Instead, I desire to choose to remind myself to be thankful, and to truly be thankful on the inside for everything God has blessed me with. This is another type of thankfulness, to bring remembrance. To yourself and to others, to remember God’s works and remember to be thankful and grateful in the heart.
Here’s an analogy; when parents give their children a gift or a new toy, or someone gives a friend something of value, the receiver is usually grateful in that moment for what they have been given. The children will play with their new toy non-stop, and the friend will use or wear whatever they are given. But over time, instead of having that initial thankfulness for the gift, they start to lose their interest in it. Children put their toy under a pile of others and forget about it, and the friend will stop using or wearing what they’ve been given. They have stopped cherishing the items given to them, not just because they’ve become bored or “too used to it”, but because their thankfulness for the item has become forgotten. What is something in your life that you were very excited about when you received it but don’t really think about anymore? And how would you see these things if you chose to continue to be thankful for what you’ve been given? To truly cherish an item given to you by a family member or friend. This is an extreme analogy, and in many circumstances, people do remain thankful for things they’re given for a long time regardless of how much they use it, but it applies to many parts of our lives. How many times do we look back in our lives and start to cherish little items once a beloved family member has passed? A painting that belonged to a grandmother, buried in random stuff for years while she was alive, but then cherished and hung proudly on the wall for decades after she’s gone. We should choose to live with this kind of thankfulness in our hearts and in our actions for people, for things, and for God every day, rather than letting them sit in a box until it’s too late to show our appreciation when it’s important.
I try to remind myself to be thankful even for the little things, not just because it’s a good virtue to have, especially toward important people, but because thankfulness is something that pleases God to see inside our hearts. God loves to bless the thankful, but reluctantly blesses those who do not value what He wants to do in our lives. How much more will God do for us if we try to show Him that we cherish His good works in our lives?
The Types of Thankfulness
- Thankfulness and gratefulness in the heart
- Prayer
- Praise and Worship
- Remembrance
- Humility
- Generosity
- Sacrifice
There are many types and subtypes of thankfulness and thanksgiving throughout Scripture, but these are the important ones that we should walk in throughout our lives every day. Without these types of thankfulness, it can be an open door in our lives for seeds of ungratefulness and pride to take root. Remember who we are thankful to and why we should be thankful, for nothing in life is given to us through our strength alone, and in that the Lord strengthens the grateful in heart.
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