This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:21-23 KJV

Hello, my dear friend,

How are you?  I hope this note finds you well.

I do apologise that I have not sent a note in a while.  The months have flown by so quickly;  April came and went, and now we are already in May, moving just as fast.  Yet here we are again, glory be to God.

One theme that stood out to me recently, with the help of the Holy Spirit, is Thanksgiving, not as a routine or obligation, but as something rooted in intentional recall and reflection.

Often, we approach thanksgiving in a familiar and almost automatic way.  We begin our prayers with thanks (just casually, without much thought, almost like a tick-box ), then move on to our requests or Scripture reading, and carry on with our day.  While this is good, there is a deeper posture we are invited into regarding thanksgiving.  One that is conscious, continuous, and not just limited to prayer time. 

Thanksgiving is not meant to be passive;  it is meant to be intentional and conversational.  To recall means to remember, to bring to mind what has already happened.  Reflection goes further; it involves thinking carefully and deeply about experiences, processing them to draw meaningful insights that lead to intentional action.

When you recall and reflect,  you move beyond simply listing blessings.  You begin to consider the blessings and the giver of the blessings — God.   His track record of being good to you becomes clearer, and your perspective begins to shift.   

You come to realise that God is faithful, that He loves you, and that He always keeps His promises. You recall the ways He has revealed Himself and the moments when you’ve glimpsed His heart. From this understanding, thanksgiving flows naturally. You know who you believe; it’s not simply an action prompted by others. You don’t wait for someone to encourage you to praise or thank God; you thank Him because you desire to.

We first praise Him for who He is, and then for what He has done. As Pastor Bill Johnson, quoted by Minister Nosa Omoregie, points out, “We thank God for what He does, for His acts. We praise God for who He is, and then in worship, we become the sacrifice.”

At the same time, let’s be honest, there are seasons when thanksgiving does not come easily.    There are days when challenges seem to pile up, when nothing appears to be working, and you begin to wonder if God is truly listening.  Yet I believe it is in those moments that thanksgiving becomes even more powerful as you are thanking Him from a point of recall and reflection.  It helps you reassess your situation with a renewed perspective.  It shifts your focus from what feels uncertain to what is eternally true.  It anchors you, reminding you that your current situation does not define God’s character.  This brings hope that keeps you going.

And if you ever feel like there is nothing to thank God for, there is always the greatest gift of all: the sacrifice of Jesus.  His death on the cross, the price paid for our redemption, and the truth that: There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1),  In Him we live and move and have our being, we are His offspring (Acts 17:28),  The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1),  If God is for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31),  What can separate me from the love of God? (Romans 8:35).  Glory be to Jesus. 

The enemy has no hold over your life because Jesus has already prevailed.  You reign with Him now and will continue to do so when He returns. Remember too: God does not leave anything unfinished.  You are His masterpiece, His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).  He has not hidden Himself or given Himself in fragments(love this song by Amanda Cook: Pieces);  He has given Himself fully.  His Holy Spirit lives in you and guides you daily. The list of reasons to be thankful is endless. Truly, God is good.  So thank Him, not out of obligation, but from a place of knowing, from a place of gratitude.

In practical terms, this is where intentional practices can help.  Journaling your reflections, testimonies, and God’s promises to you (backed up by the scriptures) or keeping a “thanksgiving jar” allows you to capture moments of God’s faithfulness.  These become reminders you can return to in seasons when your faith feels stretched.  It is no wonder we are encouraged to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith(Hebrews 12:1).  When we look to Him, we look at His word, His proven track record of keeping His word, we are grounded in what is constant, even when everything else feels uncertain.   Thanksgiving, then, becomes more than words. It becomes a posture, a way of seeing things and a way of living. And from that place, we continue to say: Thank You, Lord, for You are good.

Until next note, my friend, I recommend you begin (if you don’t already) intentional thanksgiving birthed from recall and reflection.

Do take care.