2 1 Chronicles 16:8-9: Part 1

1 Chronicles 16:8-9 * GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

8 “Give thanks to the Lord.

Call on his name.

Make known among the nations what he has done.

9 Sing to him.

Make music to praise him.

Meditate on all the miracles he has done.[1]

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THANKS?

Ideally, we will go through the Bible and read every single thing the Word of God says about thanksgiving and ingratitude in the next year. But, there is so much to cover, so we will see how far we can get in the study, look, and reflection (Hint: There might need to be another book of this type written—or maybe three or four. We shall see.)

This is the first reference we will look at: 1 Chronicles 16:8-9. Let’s first, however, start with a baseline and figure out where we are with thanksgiving in our lives and in the Bible.

a

Remember the rule of thumb for this entire year: The more you put into this year, the more you will get out of it.

a

PRAYER JOURNALING QUESTIONS

Today has quite a few questions, but it is for a reason. Please answer each and as thoroughly as you can. Do not give simple answers and make sure to explain your answers. Be thorough. Write more than you normally would in response to each question. Remember the rule of thumb for this entire year: The more you put into this year, the more you will get out of it.

1 Define thanks.

2 How do you offer thanks to someone?

3 How do you offer thanks to God?

4 How often do you try to offer God thanks?

5 How often should you offer God thanks”

6 What can you do in order to offer God more thanks in your life?

7 So, what does the Bible say about thanks? Write in your prayer journal anything that comes to mind.

8 What do you think the Bible says about thanks?

9 Write your thoughts about 1 Chronicles 16:8-9 from the version written out in Day 1.

10 Write your thoughts about 1 Chronicles 16:8-9 from the version written out in Day 2.

11 What did you say to God about questions 1-4 today?

12 What did God say to you about questions 1-5 today?

13 What do you hope to get out of the next year?

WRITE A PRAYER OF THANKS

Write a prayer of thanks about everything from Day 1 and 2. Make sure to thank Him for as many things as you can. In other words, be thorough. Do not shortchange your thanks to God for anything from this devotional or from what God has done throughout your day and night the last two days.

Also, as you give God thanks, thank Him for certain things from your past, things from today, and things from the future.

This does not have to be a formal prayer by any means. What matters is that you make it personal. It’s also okay for it to be rough and unpolished. God does not care about that. He care about your heart. That’s all. So, do not put undue pressure on yourself.

As you pray, think of God as your father or your best friend or both, whichever is easier for you. Pour out your heart to Him.

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[1] GW: Scripture is taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.