Thankfulness leads us into experiencing God’s goodness

Deb Peacock

Sometimes we are so desperate to know God’s goodness and experience his goodness in our lives and it’s hard to be sure he really is good. We want to believe it but we doubt, we question. God says to enter his gates with thanksgiving and in the Passion Translation it refers to thankfulness being the password to going in to him (Psalm 100:4-5). But we know that his gates are never shut (Isaiah 60:11), as he is always ready to receive us so why do we need a password? Is there something more for us with the Lord if we use the password at the open gate? God doesn’t withhold or conserve his resources of goodness to us so why the password?

It seems that what you focus on is where you will go. Where you look to is the path you will follow. We develop our awareness and understanding of his goodness through thankfulness. As we declare gratitude to the Lord for his goodness both of who he is and what he has done, we speak testimony and therefore prophecy of what is to come. We come into agreement with his prophecy for goodness in our lives and partner with him. After all, Jesus is about relationship with us, rather than master to puppet servants. He wants to be at the party with us celebrating his infinite resource of goodness.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts you”. Isaiah 26:3

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”. Matthew 6:33

You might not have realised the power of speaking thankfulness to the Lord - it is simple but it has power to transform. Go in today. Go into his presence through thankfulness and enjoy the goodness of God. It is pure. It is strong. It is never-ending. It is renewing. It is for you.

Blessings

“You can pass through his open gates with the password of praise.

Come right into his presence with thanksgiving.

Come bring your thank offering to him

and affectionately bless his beautiful name!

For the Lord is always good and ready to receive you.

He’s so loving that it will amaze you—

so kind that it will astound you!

And he is famous for his faithfulness toward all.

Everyone knows our God can be trusted,

for he keeps his promises to every generation!” Psalm 100:4-5 TPT

“Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night…”

Isaiah 60:11

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield the Lord bestows favour and honour;

no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless”.

Psalm 84:10-11