The Therapy of Thanksgiving

September 1, 2026

“In everything … with thanksgiving tell God every detail of your needs … And the peace of God which transcends human understanding will stand guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:6-7)

As I have tried to apply what Paul prescribes in the verses quoted above, I have found this prescription for peace to be one of the most helpful spiritual disciplines. According to Paul, an attitude of gratitude leads to the therapy of thanksgiving as we apply thanksgiving to our stressful circumstances.

Be sure to make the observation that Paul does not prescribe giving thanks for all things. He instructs us to give thanks in all things. When we do this, it automatically moves our mindset from the negative to the positive. The apostle promises that the peace of God will protect and stand guard (like the soldiers chained to Paul as he writes these words) over our hearts and minds as they rest and trust in Christ Jesus.

Our circumstances are not always determined by God but may be caused by evil people who are persecuting us. We cannot always control our circumstances, but we can control the way we respond to them. Paul is telling us to respond with thanksgiving, because if we do, we will find this response to be God’s prescription that will bring the peace that can contribute to victory over our circumstances.

When a pastor asked one of his church members how they were doing, their response was “Pretty good pastor, under the circumstances.” The pastor responded, “Whatever are you doing there?”

The therapy of thanksgiving can lead us out from under our circumstances and into the peace of God. Have you tried it?

Dick Woodward, 02 September 2009

Leave a Comment » | faith | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward

Entering the Gates of Thanksgiving

November 26, 2015

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” (Psalm 100)

 In this profound thanksgiving psalm David tells us that coming into the presence of God is like having an audience with a great King.  That audience begins with the gates of thanksgiving that are followed by the courts of praise.  In a corporate worship service or in your closet worship, always try to begin your approach to God at the gates of thanksgiving followed by the courts of praise.

I personally know of no other worship helps that mean more to me than to begin my approach to God with thanksgiving.  When I begin thanking Him and praising Him for all my blessings I soon find myself coming before His presence with singing.  In His presence I know that He is God.  I know that He is my Shepherd and I am His sheep.  I know that He is good, His mercy is everlasting and He wants me to share the truth of His Word in all the lands of this world because He wants people in all the lands of this world and in every generation to know what it is to make a joyful shout of worship in His presence.

 Let this great worship psalm of David show you how to

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Dick Woodward, 23 November 2011

Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward

A Prayer with No Petition

September 12, 2012

“Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion…”    (PSALM 103: 2 – 4 NIV)

The Old Testament people of God sang from the Psalms when they worshiped God.  When they worshiped, sometimes they talked to God about God.  Sometimes they talked to God about people, usually their own life.  And sometimes they were not talking to God at all, they were talking to people about God: praising, praying, and preaching.

When we read the psalms we should always ask ourselves, “To whom was the author speaking and about whom was he speaking?”

The verses quoted above are from a psalm of prayer.  But the strange thing is there is no petition in this prayer.  The verb “to pray” literally means to ask.  So we are not really looking at a prayer psalm but a psalm of praise and thanksgiving.  The Psalmist’s soul is so full all he wants to do is praise the Lord in grateful worship.

What an example for us to pray with no “gimme” in our prayer.  Does your soul ever get so full that all you want to do is thank the Lord for all His blessings?  He begins by thanking God for his salvation.  In the Gospels Jesus heals ten lepers and only one comes back to thank Him.  Jesus asked the question “Where are the nine?”

Are you one of the 90% who never thank the Lord for redeeming your life from the pit of sin?  Or do you want to be part of the 10% who thank the Lord for their salvation in grateful worship?

2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward