Directional Gratitude

And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O LORD, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the LORD your God and worship before the LORD your God. And you shall rejoice in all the good that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you. -Deuteronomy 26:10-11

“Gratitude” is a popular concept right now. Writers at the University of California at Los Angeles report that a practice of regular gratitude has measurable health benefits. Researchers in Australia report a statistically consistent link between experience of gratitude and reduction in depression. When scientific research is done accurately, we regularly find it confirms what the Bible clearly encourages. We shouldn’t be surprised when we discover afresh what God has already said!

But let’s take this practice a step further: beyond identifying and consciously recognizing what you have to be grateful for, you must also recognize the one to whom you are grateful.  A beautiful truth of God’s revealed word is that He, our Heavenly Father, is the giver of gifts. 

A person experiencing gratitude without God recognizes that there are gifts in life: they look beyond themselves and their focus on problems to recognize the gifts. Gratitude directed towards God takes that focus and puts it on a loving God who delights in his world and delights to care for his creation. In this way, Gratitude becomes a form of Worship: He is the one who welcomed us into his world, and he is glad for us to connect with him in thankful recognition of his gifts.

America’s Thanksgiving holiday is a great joy, and it’s a helpful reminder of this good practice. This year, let’s harness all of those benefits of gratitude and intentionally direct them in worship and thankfulness to our loving Father in Heaven.