P.S., Thank You
By Carolyn Savelle

Since the time my daughters were very young and could barely even write, I taught them to write thank-you letters to people who blessed them. If someone bought them a dress or a stuffed animal, they knew it was just polite to not only thank them verbally, but to also send them a written thank you. That was just a rule in our home. And people really appreciate it.

Have you ever mailed a birthday gift to someone out of town and months went by without ever hearing from them? You wonder, Did they receive the gift at all? If they did, did they not like it? Why haven’t they even called or written to let me know they received it? When you give someone something and they never even say thank you, it honestly makes you not want to bless that person anymore. You simply feel that your gift wasn’t appreciated.

Thanksgiving is the act of expressed appreciation. It seems that today’s society, by and large, has lost the attitude of gratitude. Even on game shows that I’ve seen, people don’t seem very appreciative for the things they win. Why is that? Are people spoiled at getting whatever they want? Well, in the eyes of God, a thankful heart is vitally important.

Do you remember the story of the ten lepers? They shouted to Jesus, “Master, have mercy on us.” And Jesus cleansed them all. Luke 17:15-19 says:

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Notice that all ten were cleansed but only one was made completely whole. Which one? The one who returned to give thanks.

As a parent, it would bother me greatly if the only time my daughters came to my house was to get something from me. If they were constantly asking me for things and never want to just spend time with me, that would hurt me. And if every time I gave them something, they just walked away without thanking me, I would get fed up with that kind of attitude. In fact, I would probably put a stop to always being the one giving out and never feeling appreciated. Philippians 4:6 says:

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

God is a giving God. He loves to bless His children (as most parents do). But, at the same time, He wants to hear a Thank You every once in a while, too! A grateful attitude cannot be a missing element in your prayer life. It is vital to getting your prayers answered.

Thanksgiving is the act of expressing specific gratitude to God for blessings He has bestowed upon us. It is different from praise in that praise focuses on who God is, whereas thanksgiving focuses on what God has specifically done for us. Colossian 4:2 (Amplified) says:

Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving.

When praying the prayer of faith according to Mark 11, we believe we receive when we pray. Well, what do we do when we believe we receive when we pray? We give thanks for the answer to the prayer!

If I told my friend that I was going to buy her a new outfit today, she would immediately say, “Thank you, Carolyn.” She wouldn’t have seen the outfit, but she would thank me. Why? Because she has faith in my word that I will honor what I said I would do.

We should be the same way with God. If you’re believing God for something in your life, and you’ve prayed the prayer of faith believing you receive when you pray, then you should be thanking God right now. You know He will honor His word. So, go ahead and give Him thanks.

Your response should be: “Thank You, Father. I thank You that You’ve heard my prayer, and You will perform it. You will do what I’ve asked You to do because You’re my Father and You love me. Thank You for answering my prayer.”

God is drawn to a thankful heart. A key part of receiving from God is thanksgiving. When God blesses you, thank Him for it. Don’t just take things for granted. Be thankful for everything. If we would just stop and think about how seldom we have thanked Him, I am sure we would be overwhelmed. We should be just as definite in returning thanks as we are in praying a prayer of request.

Who do you think God will pile the blessings on? The person who is thankful. So start today by thanking God for all He has done for you. You’ll be glad you did.