Psalm 100:4 –
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.
Verse 5 is actually a more “theologically deep” verse with comments about God’s goodness, love and faithfulness. It hits all the main attributes of God in one verse. One could write a book on just that verse and still have more to say, but I like verse 4. In order to have God’s love in our lives, the biggest key is being thankful for what you have.
Thankfulness is a state of mind that is actually difficult to get into when times are rough. We get caught up in our own little problems and forget to step back and look at the “big picture”. We see the bills and the problems in our society, but fail to notice the sunset. Our lives overwhelm our prayers and our relationship with God. Suddenly we wonder why God is not blessing us like before!
Sure times may be tough, your McMansion may be foreclosed on, you have not found a job in months and the creditors are taking your car. How can anyone be thankful during times like this? I know it’s difficult to have peace when your only though is making your house payment! Getting lost in self-pity is so easy and our time with God is wallowing in it! We need to just step back, relax and be thankful for life and creation. Sure life’s problems are not all going to fix themselves tomorrow, but your relationship with God could be! Start your prayers out every morning with thanks and I know you may have to search but be thankful … but do it faithfully for a month and see the difference in your relationship with God.