7 Visible Reminders to be Grateful for God

by Annie Yorty

Our brains, more complex than any computer, instantly connect everything we see to past experiences. Conveniently, God designed our world loaded with visible reminders to be grateful for Him.

Today I used a frothing tool to whisk milk into my canned tomato soup and thought of my friend, Rachel. Weird, huh? Years ago—decades, in fact—Rachel gave me that frother as a gift. Every time I use it, I have a visible reminder to be grateful for her.

Earlier this month, I wrote 9 Reminders of God in Nature to Renew Gratitude for Crosswalk. Even as I wrote about those nine natural wonders, I knew I must continue the list here.

If you have time, read that article to understand why we must grow in gratitude to avoid the pitfalls of sin.

Below I provide seven additional reminders from nature to be grateful for God. There’s one for each day of this week. As we lead up to the Thanksgiving holiday, I encourage you to meditate on one attribute of God found in nature each day.

7 Visible Reminders to be Grateful for God

1. Seasons

Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. (Daniel 2:20-21 ESV)

I’m fortunate to live in a region with four distinct seasons. While I have a favorite time of year, I think I might feel sad if I lived with just that one season all the time.

The predictable transition from one season to the next reminds me that God fully controls this world. Just as He has authority over the natural world, He also sovereignly decides who will rule nations. When current events overwhelm my thoughts, I take refuge in knowing my Father will never fall asleep at the wheel, and He will bring me safely through to the home He’s preparing for me.

2. Babies

Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created. (Psalm 119:90 NLT)

I have a friend whose father died within a few days of a grandchild’s birth. Death reminds us of the fleeting nature of life, while birth brings the joy of a new generation.

I wonder how many generations have passed since Adam and Eve. Certainly, culture has drastically changed over these millennia. Yet each new birth reminds us to be grateful that God remains the same. His plan of redemption stays right on track from one generation to the next, and each new generation has the same access to the same God’s faithfulness.

3. Hen with Chicks

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. (Luke 13:34 NLT)

God gave most animal mothers the instinct to protect their babies. In His Word, God points to a simple bird—the hen—to give us a picture of His heart of love and protection toward His people. The chicks running for cover also show us that they have an instinct to scurry to their mother for protection. May we have the sense God gave these little ones to be grateful for the protective wings of our Father (Psalm 91:4).

4. Dawn

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT)

While we don’t know exactly how many mornings have dawned on this planet, we are certain that the sun burst onto the horizon for every one of those days. The sun’s constancy is but a shadow of God’s faithfulness.

God’s faithfulness extends far beyond the mechanics of our universe. A quick search on the number of promises of God in the Bible yields thousands. He has already fulfilled many of them, and His promise-keeper nature demands that every word of God will come to fruition.

When sun pries open our eyes every morning, let us be grateful that God faithfully sent His Son, Jesus, to earth as His instrument of mercy and salvation. In Him, we have access to the throne of God where we find an infinite well of mercy (Hebrews 4:16).

Our gratitude can never outpace God’s magnificence. Share on X

5. Lamb

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NLT)

In the Old Testament, God’s people sacrificed unblemished lambs at Passover to atone for their sins. In the New Testament, John the Baptist identified Jesus as the one who would end that bloody, yet necessary, practice by presenting Himself as a perfect, holy sacrifice to God.

Jesus’ shed blood ended the need for our blood to be spilled as punishment for sins. Whenever we see lambs frolicking in a field, we thank God for the freedom we have to live without the penalty of sin.

6. Sky

For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. (Psalm 103:11 NLT)

Scientists are still trying to figure out the height of the heavens above the earth. Does the distance include only our solar system? What about the incalculable breadth of universe beyond? Pause for a moment and gaze at the endless expanse of the heavens.

God’s unfailing love, also known as lovingkindness, is faithful love in action.

Faithful—constant, steadfast, never ending

Love—intense affection, tenderness

Action—taking steps, intervening

God’s love, like the height of the heavens, knows no bounds. I believe He created the heavens beyond measure to concretely communicate the extent of the unfailing love He lavishes upon us.

7. Universe

Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale? (Isaiah 40:12 NLT)

When we gaze with awe at a star-studded sky, can we truly comprehend that our Milky Way galaxy is but a mere speck in a universe consisting of perhaps one hundred billion galaxies? With whatever size your brain can fathom, imagine God measuring it with the space of His fingers. How vast, how immeasurable, must our God be!

Be Grateful

My list of seven visible reminders to be grateful to God merely scratches the surface. For more inspiration from nature to worship God, I suggest watching Pastor Louie Giglio’s sermon entitled How Great is Our God.

Our gratitude can never outpace God’s magnificence.

Join the conversation:

What visible reminders to be grateful to God would you add to my list

I welcome your comments!

Copyright ©2022 Annie Yorty