By Timothy W. Burnett
A thankful heart toward God is directly related to true peace of mind. Look at Philippians 4:6-7, "Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." This is fantastic wisdom. God's will for us is to be anxious for absolutely nothing. But in every area of our lives, He exhorts us to pray and make our requests made known to Him. Not only this, but to do so with thankfulness. The result is that the peace from God, which surpasses all knowledge, absolutely shall guard our hearts and thoughts. And this is through our Lord Jesus Christ who is alive and in heaven seated at God's right hand of authority.
A man shared a story about a woman with whom he was in love. He sadly discovered that the time was not right for them to be together. The more he thought of her, and wondered if she was thinking of him, the heartfelt aching turned into anxiety. Then he would turn to God and pray for her, and ask Him to protect her and help her to succeed in her endeavors. He shared his thoughts with God as if He was a very good friend and Daddy. Next he thanked God from the depths of his heart for different things He had done for him. Pretty soon his heart became more peaceful and tenderized. He said that his love for the woman was still there, with some aching. But he was no longer anxious. Because of that unexplainable peace from God, his heart was guarded. This meant that he had a frame of mind to meekly let God direct his steps.
Thankfulness must come from the heart. We can say "thank you" until we are blue in the face, but if it doesn't come from the heart, then it has no meaning. Thankfulness and endearing love, from the heart, can be seen even from a distance without a single word being spoken. And when the receiving party is lovingly paying attention to her, that brief moment of expressive thankuflness also touches his heart. We can tell when people are really thankful, before they utter a single word.
During the administration of the grace of God, it is available to give thanks by the spirit of God. Turn to 1Corinthians 14:16-17, "For you verily give thanks well..." The context of this verse can be found in verses 14 - 17. It is about praying with the spirit, which is speaking in tongues. When people speak in tongues, they do not know what is said, but are assured by God that they are giving thanks well. This is giving of thanks in a truly spiritual way. In closing we have God's word, "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also you are called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him" (Colossians 3:15-17).
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