The Unshakable Reason for Thanks

Why should we give thanks when life is hard? The psalmist issues a command: “Oh give thanks to the LORD.” This is not a suggestion based on our circumstances. The reason given is not what God has done, but who God is. He is good. His love is steadfast and it endures forever. This is an eternal, unchanging reality. This call to thanksgiving opens a psalm that recounts God’s deliverance for His people from all kinds of trouble. The foundation for praise is God’s character, not our comfort.

Your feelings will change, but God’s character never will. The psalmist anchors your gratitude not in your shifting circumstances, but in two unshakable truths: God is good, and His love for you never ends. Even when you cannot see His goodness, you can trust it is there. Athanasius of Alexandria saw this kind of thanks as deep soul-work, where God's grace reshapes our sorrow into hope. God’s love for you is not a fragile thing; it is a covenant promise that holds firm forever. What part of your life today can you entrust to His good and loving character?

Today, when you are tempted to complain, consciously thank God instead for one aspect of His unchanging character.

Father, thank you that your goodness and love are my foundation, not my feelings or my circumstances. Help me to build my life on who You are, especially when I do not understand what You are doing. May my first response today be thanks. Amen.

Psalm 107 introduces the final book of the Psalms (Book V). It serves as a call to praise for the redeemed, setting the theme of God's faithful deliverance for the psalms that follow.