Prayer Call: A Grateful Start

Good Morning BFB Family & Friends!

As we begin this Thanksgiving week, many are traveling, gathering with loved ones, or preparing to celebrate. While Thanksgiving is a holiday on the calendar, gratitude is meant to be a posture of the heart — a way of seeing life through the lens of God’s goodness.
This week, our focus is “A Grateful Start.”

“O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.” - Psalm 107:1

Psalm 107 is the opening psalm of Book Five in the Psalms — a division often associated with restoration, joy, and thankfulness. Historically, it reflects the praise of God’s people as they were brought out of captivity, especially from Babylon. And yet, its message speaks powerfully to us today.

The psalm begins with a call that many of us have heard throughout our lives: “O give thanks unto the Lord.” Not because every moment has been easy. Not because every season has been smooth. It is thankfulness because God has always been there – He’s always been faithful.

Thanksgiving is not just a holiday  — it is a point of view. A way of seeing God’s hand even while we are enduring, stretching, questioning, or waiting. Gratitude is the perspective that says, “Even if everything around me shifts, God is constant, and for that, I give Him thanks.” It’s recognizing that God has always been faithful to us and we should always have a point of view to give thanks.

As we reflect on Psalm 107:1, here are three simple but powerful truths that help shape a grateful start to our week:

As we wake up and we look at this psalm, we should give thanks for what God has done. Sometimes we don’t have to look back over the whole year — we can look back over the this month. This past day. This morning.

There were moments when we were unsure, overwhelmed, stretched, or going through in our right now. But the good news -  God kept us. God sustained us. God carried us. I didn’t just make it, I was carried through it and for that I give God thanks. For everything big and small, for the seen and unseen, we can simply say: “Lord, thank You for what You’ve already done.”

God is moving in life even in times when we can’t fill it or we can’t see it. Doors are being knocked on that God is already preparing to open. God is answering and working on prayers even in the midst of us praying them. God is securing victories before we even step on the battlefield. God is already moving away dangers, seen and unseen that we don’t even know about. He has a hedge or protection around and those connected to us.

For those traveling, celebrating, or entering new seasons — God is already ahead of you. Grace and mercy are at work right now, in this very moment.

So we thank Him not only for yesterday’s blessings, but for His active, present movement in our lives today.

Thanksgiving is also preparation for the future. When we thank God in advance, we declare:
“Lord, I trust Your promises more than my worries.” It’s “God, I believe You.” I believe what You have shown me, what You have told me, what I have studied, what I have prayed through – I trust You God.

Even if something feels unsettled in our hearts or homes, we can thank Him for the outcome He is already working out. People may fail. Situations may shift. But God never fails. We give thanks because we believe that what is is not what will be. God’s faithfulness reaches into our tomorrows.

So as we move through this Thanksgiving week:

• Let us look at what God has done,
• trust in what God is doing, and
• stand in confidence of what God will do.

May gratitude be the lens through which we see our lives, our families, our travels, our celebrations, and our circumstances.

Lord, give us a grateful heart — today, this week, and always.

Amen and amen.