Songs of Thanksgiving

Bible Reading: Luke 17:12-19

“I love to hear Marigold sing, Mrs. Brown,” Sadie said when she stopped in at her elderly neighbor’s home one day. The little yellow canary in its shiny brass cage fluttered around, pecking seeds and singing happy songs. “I wonder why she sings so much.”

Mrs. Brown smiled. “I suppose she sings because she’s thankful. You know, Sadie, the Bible says, ‘When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God.’ That’s Deuteronomy 8:10.” Sadie grinned. Mrs. Brown had a Bible verse for almost everything, even happy canaries.

Sadie perched on a high stool, listening while the little bird poured cheerful notes into the bright, sunny kitchen. “Mrs. Brown,” she said thoughtfully, “at our house we don’t always pray before we eat. Sometimes Dad calls and says he’ll be late, so Mom fixes a tray for me and I eat in the living room while she feeds Braedon in his high chair.”

“Well, no matter where you’re eating, you can thank God for your meal,” Mrs. Brown said. “In the Bible, God always provided for His people, and He still does today even if it looks different than we might expect.” She took a seat next to Sadie. “Do you remember the story about Jesus healing the ten lepers–and only one returned to thank Him?” Sadie nodded. “I think even Jesus seemed surprised that the others forgot to come back and thank Him, don’t you?” asked Mrs. Brown. She looked at the bird cage. “No one has to remind Marigold to sing–she does it naturally. Maybe she can help us learn to sing songs of thanksgiving.”

“How?” asked Sadie.

“Well, learning to sing songs of thanksgiving takes practice,” said Mrs. Brown. “A good place to start can be to thank God for what’s right in front of you and the things He’s done in the past. I often thank Him for sending Jesus to die for me and for giving me His Spirit to be with me every moment of the day. It’s taken practice and a lot of help from Jesus for my prayer of thanksgiving to become as natural as a canary’s song.”

“I want to sing songs of thanksgiving and thank God every day too,” said Sadie. “I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad I had a singing lesson from a canary!”

–Phyllis I. Klomparens

How About You?
Does giving thanks come naturally to you? It’s easy to remember to thank God for everything He’s given you on Thanksgiving, but He wants you to give thanks the rest of the year too. Practice saying thanks every day, and it will soon become a natural part of your life–and you’ll notice more and more things to be thankful for too!

Today’s Key Verse:
Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. (NLT) (Psalm 103:2)

Today’s Key Thought:
Practice giving thanks