Give Thanks for Who God Is

by Annie Yorty ©2021

Have you noticed how we often overlook the Thanksgiving holiday in anticipation of Christmas? Trying to get a jump on the Christmas to-do list, we may forget to pause and give thanks for who God is.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made;

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky.

This beautiful verse, penned by Frederick M. Lehman in 1917, poetically describes the impossibility of capturing the vast love of God. An ocean full of ink cannot fully describe just one of God’s attributes, so I will not even attempt to discuss the full character of God in one brief blog.

Instead, I hope to point you to some practical ideas for knowing and thanking God for who He is throughout this Thanksgiving season. Who knows, your habit might even continue all year long!

The more we truly know God, the more we want to give thanks for who God is.

I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God (Ephesians  1:17 NLT).

One way we get to know God better is to step in. Get close. The closer our proximity to God, the better we perceive Him. But how do we intentionally come near to God?

There are many practices that help us know God better and give thanks for who God is, but we primarily focus on the Word.

Jesus is the Word.

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1 NLT).

Jesus, God’s Son, is identified in this verse as the Word. Knowing Him as your Savior is the first step to knowing the Person of God the Father. It is not simply enough to read the Bible and know what it says. Instead, we must begin a relationship with God through Jesus.

I [Jesus] am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6 NLT).

Today Jesus is standing at the door of your heart, knocking. If you haven’t already done so, take a step of faith and open the door. Invite Jesus to come in and wipe away layers of accumulated sin that you have never been able to scour away on your own. Jesus is gentle and kind, never condemning.

You must be born again, or spiritually renewed, before you can truly know God’s character and thank God for who He is.

The Bible is the word.

Once we have received new life in Christ, God’s word, the Bible, is our principal source of information about God. Unlike any other book, it is living and active, containing God’s power to judge thoughts and intentions (Hebrews 4:12). God’s character and plan for life are woven through each story and word.

There are many names for God given in the Bible. They help us to understand different facets of God’s nature. As you read the Bible in this month of Thanksgiving, try to identify which attribute of God is being displayed in the passage.

To help you, I have listed below just a few of the many names of God, along with a brief meaning. I have also created a Names of God Bookmark that you can download to print and tuck into your Bible for easy reference.

Names of God

• Lord our Provider—God supplies just what is needed at just the right time.
• Shepherd—God cares for and manages every aspect of our lives.
• God who Sees—God notices me personally.
• Almighty God—God is all-powerful and all-sufficient.
• LORD (Yahweh, I AM)—God enters into personal covenant relationship with His people.
• Sovereign Lord—God is the ultimate owner and ruler of the world.
• Lord our Victory—God assures us of victory over our battles with sin.
• Lord of Hosts—God who commands armies is our stronghold.
• Lord our Maker—God is creator and sustainer of all.
• Abba Father—God is close and intimate as a daddy when He adopts us through Jesus as His children.
• Lord our Healer—God restores us to both physical and spiritual wholeness.
• Lord our Righteousness—God is the source of our righteousness.
• Lord our Peace—God makes peace between Himself and mankind.
• Alpha and Omega—God is infinite, existing from beginning to end and everywhere in between.
• Immanuel—God took on flesh to dwell among us.
• Messiah—God the Son is anointed to be Savior of the world.
• Everlasting God—God is the eternal One, fully qualified to offer eternal life to us.

As you begin to see God’s character in every word of the Bible, in specific ways thank God for who He is. Thank Him, too, for His proven faithfulness from the beginning of time down through the ages to you and me.

Please come back throughout the month of November to find more practical ideas to increase our gratitude quotient. Let’s not miss Thanksgiving in a headlong rush to Christmas.

Join the conversation:

Do you have a favorite attribute of God?

How do you thank God for who He is?

I welcome your comments!