Because a thankful heart....

"Because a thankful heart is a happy heart. I'm glad for what I have that's an easy way to start. For the love that He shares cause He listens to our prayers, that's why I say thanks every day."
Some of you may chuckle to know that these are the words to a Veggie Tales song(I posted the song below in case you wanted to hear it) but I think there is some food for thought(no pun intended) here. When I first heard this song I was grabbed by the simple message illustrated by a little girl's thanksgiving song. She had been taught the importance of "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." I Thess. 5:18.
Often we are confused over what qualifies as a reason to give thanks. God provided money for my school bill or for my vehicle to be repaired; big blessing! God answered a specific prayer or protected me in an accident; big blessings!!
Please don't get me wrong, I agree that these are blessings and we should thank God for them, but what about everything else He does for us and I mean EVERYTHING!
Psalm 136 illustrates this perfectly I believe. The Psalmist encourages the nation to give thanks unto the LORD and then proceeds to give a very pointed list of reasons to help them get started.
Why give thanks unto the LORD: He is good; He doeth great wonders; He gave us the sun to rule by day and the  moon and stars at night; He remembered us in our low estate(I like that one!); He redeemed us from our enemies and giveth food to all flesh.
I plan on reading this as part of my devotion this Thanksgiving and plan on reading it twice. Once as it is written and another without the phrase "for his mercy endureth forever" to get a better flow of the list of wonderful, praiseworthy things of my LORD.
It's so easy to praise God for the obvious but often we take for granted the everyday things we have. Like a beautiful sunshine day that allowed us to get those outdoor projects done or for the food we had to make the scrumptious meal we enjoyed with our family or the house we have to eat dinner in.
The list truly is endless for what I could thank my God for.
Nancy Leigh DeMoss wrote in her book "A place of Quiet Rest": "We should praise the LORD because He loves praise and seeks worshipers; because He deserves our worship; it takes us into His presence and brings down His glory; its a cure for spiritual dryness; and praise defeats Satan."
I desire to make it a point to praise my God for all He has given me: a wonderful family, a home, and His love; and for who He is all year long! Will you join me?