Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness.
Come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever.
His faithfulness continues through all generations.
(Psalm 100, NIV 1984 ~ emphasis mine.)
Thanksgiving is, by definition, a time to give thanks. When we give thanks, there has to be an object of our thanks. We can say that we are thankful for our loving family, food on our table each day, machines to assist in shortening the process of washing our laundry, clean water to drink, nature to enjoy, etc., but do we ever pause to ponder and reflect upon the One who has graciously provided all things?
Who is it that we praise and give thanks to?
After leaving a Celebrate the Truth workshop recently, the question of WHO is the object of our praise stuck with me. This Thanksgiving, I desire to intentionally focus mine and our children’s hearts and gratitude of thanks upon the One True God. Who is He? What is He like? How can we know Him? God reveals His character, who He is, through His name/titles. I’ve had the book God’s Names by Sally Michael from Children Desiring God for a year now, but had not read it with the kids. I pulled it off the shelf, began to skim through it, and realized it would be a perfect starting point for our Thanksgiving study. After including additional Scripture references, scouring our worship music for songs related to His name (Oh, how good that was for my soul!), and creating colorful fall leaves with His names/titles, I think we are ready to center our praise and thanksgiving on our Great God through meditation on His Word, prayer, and song!
The ‘Thank Him Tree’ list and printables were created to be used in conjunction with Sally Michael’s God’s Names, a Bible, a natural and simply made ‘Thanksgiving Tree,’ and an optional praise song list. Print out the verse card and the leaves, laminate (if you desire), and cut. Then, as you read and study the names and character traits of God, attach the corresponding leaf to your tree and thank God for who He is and what He has done!
