Are you aware that when we say words of thanksgiving and praise up to God, it reshapes and changes the neuron patterns in our brain? The neural antidepressant is gratitude. Giving thanks and gratitude boosts levels of Serotonin and Dopamine – the brain’s happy chemicals and the same chemicals targeted by antidepressant medications.
Psalm 50:23: “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me, to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”
Grumbling, words of discontentment, having an unthankful heart grows like weeds within our mind and travels straight to our heart and corrupts it. It can become a hard habit to break.
We have mint growing everywhere in the front, side, and back of our house. It is just like a weed except it can be eaten, gives flavor to vegetables, fruits, and drinks. The roots of mint are called runners. These runners are invasive. If you plant a mint plant in a cracked flower pot in the ground, the runners will find a way out through the crack and continue to spread. Mint will take over if planted in the ground and not in a container. Mint roots can be pulled or dug out of the ground, but it will come back and take over any flower bed. Our invasive mint plants remind me of how complaining, griping, whining, all have a negative impact on our attitude. That is why mustering up a happy and thankful attitude is a choice. It sometimes takes work. Lack of joy, whittles away at our hope and faith that God has this. Nothing is too hard for Him!
The NET (New English Translation) puts it this way for Psalm 50:23: “Whoever presents a thank-offering honors Me. To whoever obeys my commands, I will reveal my power to deliver.”
It is said that thanksgiving is good, but thanks-living is better.
As I was meditating this week on keeping a joyful attitude and verbalizing my gratitude up to God, I was challenged in having a thankful attitude no matter what circumstances occur. I received a call late in the work day. It was not good news and I was perturbed. This newly received information I knew would affect adversely one of my largest customers. I then had to be the deliverer of this bad news and had to make a call I hated to make. I knew this would cause a serious inconvenience and be upsetting. In barely five minutes after my phone conversation, I received an email from this customer, that did not make me happy. Their large order was cancelled, we were reprimanded, and I lost this order to a competitor. I knew I could blame others for this negative result, but it was out of our control. One important detail was overlooked (I found out the following day) of the information communicated. Stress took over analyzing all factors and missing the right solution that was there all along. My large sale vanished. Lesson learned: Ask more questions first, next time this happens. Then re-assess.
So there I was for the next hour trying to control my thoughts and digest the end of my work day. I kept reading out loud Psalm 145:1-3 over and over. I have been working on memorizing these very verses, which is a song of praise of David. Then Psalm 50:23 also came to mind. I knew it was not a coincidence that I was being tested on giving praise back up to God instead of dwelling on this work problem. It was over. What was done was done. That night I prayed: “OK God, show me your divine power. I praise You, and this is my sacrificial offering up to You right now.”
It is easy to have thoughts of resentment, and bitterness when things appear to go wrong. Then those roots turn into runners, just like the roots of our mint plants outside, and have to be weeded out of our hearts by focusing instead on thankfulness and joyful praise back up to God for all He has done in our lives. Then peace can dwell securely instead of dissatisfaction and grudges.
Here are seven verses to pray back to God, to reboot our minds in cultivating and choosing to have a thankful heart:
Habakkuk 3:17-18: “Though the fig tree not bud and there are no grapes on the vine, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
Colossians 3:15: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
Psalm 69:30: “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.”
Psalm 100:4: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name.”
Psalm 113:3: “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!”
Psalm 145:2 “Everyday I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
“Satan so hates the genuine praise of Christ that his fiery darts of discouragement are not effective against us when we respond in praise.” William Thrasher.
How many days do you live out Psalm 113:3: “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!”? David praises God throughout the whole chapter of Psalm 113. He says from sun up to sun down the name of the LORD is to be praised! I need to cultivate praising God more each day.
God is simply saying back to us when we praise Him: “But Wait! I will show you!” What will He show us? God will then show us His power, His strength, His goodness, His working things out for our good, squelching Satan’s attacks, and the list could go on and on. Giving exultation up to God will be the remedy that will boost your second wind of energy that will kick in when you feel exhausted from the frustrations throughout the day. But wait, and let God show you Himself after you offer up your sacrifice of extolling devotion and appreciation of praise up to Him.
How long can you pray without asking God for anything?
Write out your own “Tribute of Bravo” up to God. I have started to write my own in my journal book.
Listen to Casting Crowns, “Praise You in this Storm.”