Introduction

Some of us walked in today with full hearts; some with heavy ones. Either way, here you are, and here God is—nearer than the breath you just took. Picture an old, sturdy gate swinging open. Hear the hinges creak a welcome. On the other side? Not a cold courtyard, but the warm smile of a Father who loves to see His children coming. That’s the heartbeat of Psalm 100:4. God invites us—not as spectators on the sidelines—but as sons and daughters stepping across the threshold with thanks on our lips.

Thanksgiving is more than a holiday or a habit. It’s a holy way of seeing. It trains the soul to notice the fingerprints of God on ordinary days—In the aroma of morning coffee. In the laugh of a child. In mercy we didn’t earn and strength we didn’t manufacture. Gratitude gathers these small witnesses and says, “Look what God has done.” And as our thanks rise, our burdens bow. As our praise lifts, our fears loosen their grip. Have you noticed how gratitude doesn’t shrink your problems so much as it enlarges your view of God?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it simply and beautifully: “It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” When we thank God, the color comes back to life. Hope grows legs. Peace finds a seat at the table. And our hearts learn to hum a quiet hallelujah, even on hard days.

Today, we’re going to talk about walking into God’s presence with thanksgiving. Not as a performance, but as a practice. Not as a duty, but as our delight. Will we choose to give thanks this day—this ordinary, God-given day? Will we lift our eyes to the faithfulness of the Father, even when challenges line the horizon? The gates are open. The courts are calling. Let’s enter with thanksgiving.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 100 (KJV) 1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Opening Prayer Father, we come through Your gates with thanksgiving and enter Your courts with praise. You are good, and Your mercy is everlasting. Quiet our racing minds and steady our distracted hearts. Teach us to notice Your kindness, to name Your gifts, and to nurture a spirit of gratitude. Holy Spirit, open our eyes to the faithfulness of God that spans generations and meets us in this very moment. Let praise rise where worry once ruled. Let thanksgiving flow where complaints had gathered. Jesus, take Your rightful place at the center of our thoughts and affections. We bless Your name. We thank You for Your nearness. Shape our hearts as we hear Your Word today. In Your strong and saving name, amen.

Enter God's presence with thanksgiving

When we come to God, the first words we bring are thanks. Simple words. Honest words. We pause and say what is true about Him. We name what He has done. We say it out loud. Gratitude is not filler. It is the front door of prayer. It sets the tone. It teaches the heart how to be with God.

Thanks shapes our posture. It slows the rush inside us. It lowers our shoulders. It lifts our eyes. We remember who is on the throne. We remember who holds our lives. When gratitude leads, fear does not drive. Worry does not steer. Our hearts grow steady in the kindness of God.

This psalm calls us to come near with singing. That is more than music. It is a way to bring our whole selves. Mouth. Mind. Body. We can whisper, speak, or shout. We can raise hands or kneel. We can sing loud or hum soft. Gratitude wants a voice. It turns what we know about God into what we say to God. It gives shape to love.

Gratitude also resets our order. Many of us rush to requests. We carry heavy needs. God cares about them. He invites them. Yet He also gives us a pattern that begins with thanks and praise. When we start there, our asking changes. We ask with a calmer heart. We ask with more trust. We ask with a bigger view of who He is.

In ancient worship, people brought offerings of thanks. There was even a named offering for it, a todah. They did not wait for a perfect week. They came because God was worthy. Choirs would process. Drums and strings would sound. The people would speak of His works. Their gratitude had weight and form. It was public. It was shared. It was glad.

Think of the temple scene. Citizens, families, travelers. All coming near with words of praise. They did not arrive empty. They carried a story. They carried a song. They carried a gift. The message was clear. God welcomes a people who remember and honor Him. The customs of the house taught the people how to meet with the King.

This pattern is mercy. It gives us a way when we feel lost in ourselves. We do not have to guess how to approach God. He tells us. He wants to hear our thanks. He wants to see our praise. He wants our affection, our trust, our attention. He is not hard to reach. He has made the way plain.

Gratitude is tied to memory. The last line of the psalm anchors it. God is good. His loyal love does not stop. His faithfulness runs through every age. When we say thanks, we tie our present moment to that record. We stand in a long line of people who have seen the same thing. The Lord did not fail them. He will not fail now.

So we practice remembering. We name yesterday’s help. We recall the doors that opened. We admit the sins He forgave. We think of the times He carried us through. We can write them down. We can tell a friend. We can say them before a meal. Memory fuels thanks. Thanks builds faith. Faith keeps the soul steady.

This kind of remembering grows in the home. It grows in the church. Share answered prayer in small group. Tell children what God has done. Mark the date when a prayer was answered. Sing songs that rehearse His works. Set stones of remembrance in simple ways. We forget fast. Gratitude trains us to hold on to what God has done.

Thanks also forms our asking. It does not cancel requests. It frames them. When we thank God first, we see His power again. Then we bring our needs under that light. We pray with hope. We pray with patience. We pray with courage. The size of the need does not silence us. The goodness of God gives us words.

Gratitude changes how we carry pain. It does not pretend the pain is small. It names gifts that stand beside the pain. A friend who stayed. A verse that spoke. A quiet strength in the night. These are not small. They are signs of the Shepherd near His flock. Each thank you becomes a step. One step. Then another.

Thanks also shapes community. It is hard to stay bitter while praising God beside someone. It is hard to resent while telling the same story of grace. Gratitude softens hard places between us. It calls us to look up together. It puts Christ at the center and keeps Him there. It fills the room with witness.

In daily life, gratitude can be simple and steady. Start the day with three thanks. End the day with three more. Keep a note on your phone. Keep a card by the sink. Say grace in the car. Send a text that blesses God for a friend. Small habits add up. They keep the heart awake to God.

At church, let thanks be active. Arrive a bit early and whisper praise. Sing with your whole self. Speak a word of thanks during prayer time. When the offering is received, thank God for His provision. When Scripture is read, thank Him for His voice. When we gather, the call is the same. Bring thanks.

In prayer for needs, let thanks be the first sentence and the last. Thank Him for hearing. Thank Him for wisdom we do not yet have. Thank Him for the answer He will give in the right way and time. This is not a trick. It is trust. It is saying, “You are God, and I am yours.”

When temptation strikes, gratitude can be a shield. Thank God for the better gift He has given. Thank Him for the freedom He has won. Thank Him for the way of escape He promises. Saying thanks in that moment is an act of faith. It points the heart toward the better joy.

When success comes, gratitude keeps us low and clean. Say, “All I have came from Your hand.” Name the helpers who lifted you. Return the praise to God before you sleep. Gratitude guards the soul from pride. It keeps the blessing from becoming a snare.

When we stand together in worship, we practice heaven’s language. Angels praise without end. The church joins that sound. Our thanks may be simple. It may be rough. God receives it with delight. He is near to the people who remember Him this way.

Choose each day to give thanks

So what does this look like when your feet hit the floor tomorrow? Choose each day to give thanks ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO