Praise and Thanksgiving: Remember What God Has Done
Thanksgiving protects the heart from entitlement and forgetfulness. Praise turns attention from the size of the problem to the greatness of God.
- Read the primary Bible passages carefully and in context.
- Compare Scripture with Scripture before drawing the conclusion.
- State the main truth in plain words you could explain to someone else.
- Complete the Quick Checks and guided study before moving on.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
“In every thing give thanks” does not mean calling evil good. It means that no circumstance removes every reason for gratitude. God's character, salvation, promises, Word, church, and eternal hope remain true even in painful seasons.
Do not forget His benefits
Psalm 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Psalm 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Thanksgiving is an exercise in memory. Make it specific: people God used, needs supplied, prayers answered, protection given, Scripture understood, opportunities opened, correction received, and grace shown.
Thanksgiving changes the atmosphere of prayer
A prayer list that contains only problems can make the Christian life feel like one long emergency. Add an answered-prayer list. Record what God has done. Revisit it. Gratitude trains the soul to recognize God's faithfulness over years, not merely during one crisis.
Compare Scripture with Scripture
Scripture trail: 1 Thessalonians 5:16 • 1 Thessalonians 5:17 • 1 Thessalonians 5:18 • Psalm 103:1 • Psalm 103:2 • 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Psalm 103:1 • Acts 2:41-42 • Acts 20:28
Do not rush past the references. Open them, read the surrounding verses, and make the Bible carry the weight of the conclusion.
Think it through
- What does the passage teach about God, the believer, and the proper content or attitude of prayer?
- How does this truth shape prayer without turning prayer into a saving work or a technique for controlling God?
- How could you pray this truth back to God in your own words today?
Teach it back
Without looking at the lesson explanation, summarize Praise and Thanksgiving: Remember What God Has Done in two or three sentences and support your explanation from Scripture. If you cannot explain it simply yet, return to the passages and work through them again.
Slow down and work the text
Reopen 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Psalm 103:1. Read enough before and after each verse to see the setting. Do not settle for remembering a slogan when you can inspect the wording for yourself.
- Write the main claim of Praise and Thanksgiving: Remember What God Has Done in one sentence.
- Underline or write down the exact words in the passages that support that claim.
- Compare at least two of the passages. What truth becomes clearer when they are read together?
- Ask what could be misunderstood if one phrase were isolated from its context.
- Turn one truth from the lesson into a short, Bible-shaped prayer to God.
- What does this lesson teach about God and prayer?
- How should this truth affect the way you pray?
- What mistaken idea about prayer does the Scripture correct?
Thanksgiving remembers God's faithfulness. A mature prayer life records not only what is needed, but also what God has already done.
Confession and Restored Fellowship
17 min