Answering Questions Regarding Thankfulness

In the autumn of 1621, after a long and difficult first year in the New World, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony gathered to thank God for sustaining them through hardship and for blessing their harvest. Their survival had been made possible in large part through the help of the neighboring Wampanoag people, who taught them vital skills—how to plant local crops, where to fish, and how to endure the unfamiliar land.

When the harvest came in, the Pilgrims set aside several days for a feast of gratitude. Hearing the celebration, the Wampanoag, led by Massasoit, arrived and contributed food of their own—venison, fowl, and other provisions—turning the Pilgrims’ small gathering into a larger shared meal. What resulted was not a formal holiday as we know it today, but a moment of fellowship born from mutual assistance, hospitality, and the recognition that survival itself had been a gift.

For Christians, this story—however simplified in our tradition—reminds us of God's faithfulness in scarcity, the power of gratitude in community, and the beauty of welcoming others to our table. It reflects a deep truth: thanksgiving grows richest when it’s shared.

This time of year is often looked at through the lens of a meal and sometimes Pilgrims and Indians. We spend most of our time thinking about what deals that might be available when shopping for Christmas. I don’t know about you, but there has been a Christmas tree up in my home for two weeks now. We often skip over thanksgiving unfortunately. But this morning, I want to refocus our hearts around properly giving thanks when our God is concerned.

This psalm addresses so much of what we should keep in mind about offering thanks to the Lord. I want to ask four questions about Thanksgiving.

Who Gives Thanks to the Lord? (v. 3)

This probably goes without saying but not every person who lives offers thanks to the Lord. If I asked the question, “who should be thankful to the Lord?”, the answer would be everyone. There are many who do not recognize Him as God which points us to the answer of the question in verse 3. Who gives thanks to the Lord? It is those who know that He is God. This would be simple enough to just simply state. It makes perfect sense that those who know God would be thankful. To know the Lord is to believe in Him. But it is also to understand that He created them. I don’t know if we ever stop to thank the Lord for creating us. Without Him, we would not exist. To recognize the Lord as God is to confess that He is the Creator of all things. To recognize that is to assign to Him all authority, both on earth as well as in heaven. And hopefully a mention of both heaven and earth points your heart to Matthew 28 where Jesus gives the great commission to all of His disciples.

When we continue to dwell on verse 3, we can see not only does the thankful person know God, know that He has created us, but also that we belong to Him. We are given the image of the Lord as our shepherd as given to use in Psalm 23 . I want to read this familiar Psalm as a reminder for us.

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

After hearing these words, how can we not be thankful? Another place in the bible where we are reminded that we have a shepherd is in John 10:1-5.

John 10:1–5 ESV

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

It is the Lord who protects us while we are under His care. The stranger does not follow the voice of the shepherd unless he knows him. Not only did Jesus’ death on the cross grant us with the free gift of salvation, He also has given to those who belong to Him a protection while we are in the sheepgate. His protection and leadership is worth thanking Him for. Those who belong to Him offer their thanks to Him.

This is a very simplified point but I hope it is clear that if you belong to the Lord, you will give Him thanks. The next question we are posed is

Why Give Thanks to the Lord? (v. 5)

I’ve already briefly mentioned salvation as a reason to give thanks to the Lord when looking at who is thankful. There are three reasons, among many many more, given here as to why we should give thanks to the Lord.

His Goodness - Just by itself, our God is good. We most often think of this in terms of how he deals with us. This is, of course, true that in His grace and mercy, He deals with His people in a wonderful manner. But beyond that, He is good in terms of the excellent manner in which He acts. This include His creation, His deliverance of those who cling to Him, and the excellence of eternity!

His Steadfast Love - This is the love that will not let us God. It is the love that sent the sinless Son of God to the cross. It is the love that held Jesus on the Cross. This is a love that endures through our sinfulness. It is a love that surpasses all other loves. And it doesn’t just endure for a time. It endures forever.

His Faithfulness - finally, He is faithful to His flock. It is to all generations, not just those of old and not just those of the future. It is for all time.

For all three of these reasons, we should notice that these are descriptions of the Lord’s character. His goodness, steadfast love, and faithfulness are all essential to who He is. The depth of who the Lord is in His goodness and the width that extends forever and to all generations. This is why we should be thankful: because of who God is!

When we are thankful, it is necessary that we have action.

What is Our Responsibility When Being Thankful? (v. 4)

Verse 4 explains that we will enter His Gates with thanksgiving. This insinuates that we ought to show our thankfulness in public. When a person enters in thankfulness, it is a specific attitude. Our conversations should exude gratitude. We are in the presence of the Lord with praise!

King David had a great deal to be thankful for and presented that before all those around Him as well as in the presence of the Lord.

We have a responsibility to be thankful because of who God is, but finally, we go back to the beginning of the psalm.

What are the Results of Being Thankful? (v. 1-2)

Once again, there are more results than just what is mentioned here, but there are three results listed by David that come about because of His thankfulness.

Making a joyful noise. The idea that is conveyed here is a cry or shout. So often, we have a tendency to make reference to this when it comes to singing but I would like to apply that to any noise that comes out of our mouths. In terms of percentage, the words that we say make up the most noise that we make.

Are your words joyful? Do you proclaim the mighty wonders of our God? When we are thankful, we will be joyful. This is a natural reaction! Second,

2. Serve the Lord with gladness. Do we serve the Lord with an attitude of joy? Did you come to church this morning with gladness in your heart to serve Him? Keep in mind, being here is service to God. That is why we call it a worship service. In the various ways that you serve this local body of believers, do you serve begrudgingly or do you do so with a desire to do your very best? Finally,

3. Come into His presence with singing. When we respond in a moment, we are going to sing together. Do you sing when we worship? Because thankfulness to the Lord will naturally bring about a willingness and desire to sing unto the Lord!

Think about what the Lord has done for you! As we respond, consider your salvation, consider your health, consider the richness of the life that you live!