“Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” —John 11:38-44
The three keys to a thankful heart:
All Thanksgiving Is Offered To
Thanksgiving starts and ends with God. Everything we get, everything we have received came from God. Everything we will ever get will come from Him. We receive nothing except what comes through his hand and flows to us.
“Thanksgiving is not a natural virtue; it is a fruit of the Spirit, given by him.” —Jerry Bridges
“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” —Psalm 50:23
Thankful For
The second key to thanksgiving is being thankful for relationships. Jesus prays, “Father, I thank you that you heard me.” Relationship is the basis of this prayer.
“I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.” —Psalm 118:21
Thankful For
Prayers
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” —1 John 5:14