The Power of Gratitude

‘Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted’ (John 6:11, 12).

Many relationships have been destroyed due to ungratefulness. One of the worst experiences one could ever have in a relationship is to give out your best and not be appreciated. Simply put ungratefulness hurts. One of the keys to getting the best out of every relationship is showing appreciation. Many businesses institutions periodically appreciate the work of their hard-working employees. Wouldn’t it be a great idea to appreciate your spouse, kids, parents, pastor, etc today? Showing gratitude to a person gives the person a sense of fulfillment and empowers the person to go an extra mile and give more. Our relationship with God is not any different.

Different keys open different doors and one of the keys to living in the abundance of God is acknowledging your blessings and expressing your gratitude to Him. In John 6, Philip considering the thousands of mouths to be fed declared, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” To his utter amazement, the five thousand people were miraculously fed with five loaves and two small fish. The key to that miracle was not a lengthy prayer and fasting but the simple act of showing appreciation. After Jesus received the five loaves and two little fish, He gave thanks to God for the little available and the heavenly father multiplied the little into abundance.

The Bible teaches that PRAISING GOD IS OUR SPIRITUAL RESPONSIBILITY. It declares that we are to be ‘the praise of God’s glory’ (Eph 1:12). ‘Let everything that has breath praise the lord’ (Psalm 150:6).

The following examples in scripture clearly reveal the power of gratitude.

1.     Through praise, the foundations of a maximum security prison were shaken, the doors opened and the chains of Paul and Silas were broken, setting them free from their bondage (Acts 16:26).

2.     Through praise the impregnable walls of Jericho came crashing down, regardless of the fact that they were doubled, 15 ft apart, about 30 ft high, inner wall was 6 ft thick, outer wall was about 12 ft thick. (Joshua 6:20, bible-stories-library.com)

3.     Through praise the tenth leper who came back to Jesus, had his healing sealed (Luke 17:18, 19).

‘Praise is the spiritual medium through which God takes over our battles’ (D. Oyedepo). Today, may you experience the wonders of praise. Remember, your praise is your strength and out of the mouths of the seemingly weak has God ordained strength or praise (Psalm 8:2). May your praise be contagious and may it bring blessings to others. May you overcome the enemy by the word of your testimony (Rev 12:11).