As a verb to give thanks is defined as an expression of gratitude, appreciation or acknowledgement to.  As a noun it is a grateful feeling or acknowledgment of a benefit.

In most cases in our common vernacular and our common practice it is a reactionary process.  And it is good to give thanks to those who have helped you or situations where you have prospered.  Even in the bible we are told to “Give thanks to the Lord for his is good; his love endures forever.”  1 Chronicles 16:34  So having an understanding of the blessings of the Lord and giving thanks is a very powerful, right thing.

Yet there is an additionally powerful, preemptive thanking process which is related in the Psalms.  “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  Psalm 37:4

So what is a way to show that we are delighted in the Lord?  To give Him thanks.  Not just thanks for what has happened, but also, because He who was and is and is to come,  loves us and promises to never abandon us, we can realistically and sincerely give thanks in advance for what is to come.  We can be truly appreciative to the Lord that He exists and has brought us into existence in His Love.  As such the desires of our heart will become in line with His will and  therefore He will bring those desires to fruition.

It takes a purposeful time, mind and heart to proactively delight in the Lord.  It takes a life that acknowledges the Lord in all things now and things to come.  It takes a faith that surpasses what the world says is correct, proper and the sensible reaction to life’s situations.  It sounds hard yet actually because it deals only with us, it is surprisingly doable.

Make time today, to delight in the Lord.  Say a prayer of thanks for the simple fact that the Lord is and what He is going to do as well as what He has done.  Because He is, place your desires at His feet and know that He is going to work those until they are accomplished or evolved to a point where they align with His will and then they are accomplished.

Whether for what is or what is to be; giving thanks is a very powerful source of connection to the Almighty.