Daily Gratitude
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
1 Tell the how thankful you are, because he is kind and always merciful. 2 Let Israel shout, “God is always merciful!” 3 Let the family of Aaron the priest shout, “God is always merciful!” 4 Let every true worshiper of the shout, “God is always merciful!” 5 When I was really hurting, I prayed to the . He answered my prayer, and took my worries away. 6 The is on my side, and I am not afraid of what others can do to me. 7 With the on my side, I will defeat my hateful enemies. 8 It is better to trust the for protection than to trust anyone else, 9 including strong leaders. 10 Nations surrounded me, but I got rid of them by the power of the . 11 They attacked from all sides, but I got rid of them by the power of the . 12 They swarmed around like bees, but by the power of the , I got rid of them and their fiery sting. 13 Their attacks were so fierce that I nearly fell, but the helped me. 14 My power and my strength come from the , and he has saved me. 15 From the tents of God's people come shouts of victory: “The is powerful! 16 With his mighty arm the wins victories! The is powerful!” 17 And so my life is safe, and I will live to tell what the has done. 18 He punished me terribly, but he did not let death lay its hands on me. 19 Open the gates of justice! I will enter and tell the how thankful I am. 20 Here is the gate of the ! Everyone who does right may enter this gate. 21 I praise the for answering my prayers and saving me. 22 The stone that the builders tossed aside has now become the most important stone. 23 The has done this, and it is amazing to us. 24 This day belongs to the ! Let's celebrate and be glad today. 25 We'll ask the to save us! We'll sincerely ask the to let us win. 26 God bless the one who comes in the name of the ! We praise you from here in the house of the . 27 The is our God, and he has given us light! Start the celebration! March with palm branches all the way to the altar. 28 The is my God! I will praise him and tell him how thankful I am. 29 Tell the how thankful you are, because he is kind and always merciful.
Psalm 118
Memory Verse
Psalm 118:24
24 This day belongs to the ! Let's celebrate and be glad today.
Take a moment to try this exercise: In five seconds, name five things that you are thankful for. Ready? Three… two… one… go!
How did it go? It’s okay if you had trouble coming up with five things. Remember, the Bible tells us to be thankful. Why? Because being thankful helps us to see God at work in our lives every day. Gratitude gives joy to both God and us!
Every day is a new day that God made for us. And each new day brings many things that we can be thankful for. From the start, it’s also good to remember, others might not enjoy the same privileges that we have.
When the morning starts, thank God for your breakfast and your “daily bread.” Throughout your day, thank God for the friends that you get to play with. Thank God for your family.
It’s easy to be thankful when we are happy. But we’re not always happy, right? Maybe you’ve had a fight with a friend or with your parents. Sometimes, we get sad or mad, and it’s difficult to be thankful. This is when we need to remember Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” And other times, we miss our opportunities to show gratitude because we’re going too fast or not looking carefully. Big or little, it doesn’t matter. Everything is a blessing from God. So let’s remember to say, “Thank you, God.”
As you wake up in the morning and as you go to bed at night, take a moment to thank God for all the things you are grateful for in your daily life. Remember, nothing is too big or small. By thanking God regularly, we are reminded of his goodness and can rejoice and be glad.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for creating me and everything in the world. Please help me to be thankful when I wake up and when I go to bed. Help me to say “thank you” for all the blessings in my life. Amen.Related Resources
Julia Gho
Julia Gho is the Prayer Ministry Intern for ReFrame Ministries. Currently, she is doing the M.Div. program at Calvin Theological Seminary. In her free time, Julia enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, and watching movies.