Bridget A. Thomas

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. – Psalm 19:7-10

God, we are thankful for Your Word. Each day in this gratitude challenge, we have been reminded of the beauty found in Scripture. We are thankful You gave us a guidebook to read daily and help us on our paths. Your Word is more precious than gold. The fact that You have given us this special gift in the Bible, we are reminded that You love us so much. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

I’m thankful for the Bible. And I’m thankful for the Psalms, as they bring special joy and comfort in all seasons of life.

What are you grateful for today?

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. – Psalm 19:1

God, when we look around at the beauty in Your creation, we are in awe. How can we not see You everywhere? How can we not believe You are on the throne? How can we not feel loved, with all of the blessings in our lives? We are so grateful for all that You are and all that You do. We love You, Lord! In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

I’m grateful for the beauty in creation, as it reminds me how mighty God is and that God is always there. I’m also grateful that God has always provided a roof over my head, food on my table, and clothes on my back.

What are you grateful for today?

The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! …. Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. – Psalm 18:46,49

Lord, we are thankful for the power of praise. We are thankful for praise, because not only does it bring glory to You, but it also lifts our hearts as well. When the enemy tries to bring us down, singing Your praises turns things around. Thank you, God! May praises always be on our lips. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

I’m thankful for the power of praise. I’m thankful for unexpectedly running into a former coworker this weekend. And I’m thankful for times when we come across genuinely kind and helpful people.

What are you thankful for?

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. – Psalm 18:33

God, You help us to reach new heights. You lift us up when we are down. Even when we feel pressure all around, we can believe that everything is going to be alright, because we know You are with us. You are fighting our battles. You are constantly working in our lives. We stand tall because we know You are our strength. We love you and we trust You. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

I’m thankful the Lord causes me to stand on new heights. I’m thankful for Sabbath Sunday. And I’m thankful for nudges from the Holy Spirit.

What are you thankful for?

You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. – Psalm 18:28

Dear Jesus, You are our shining light. The world around us can be so dark. But the light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it (John 1:5). We are so thankful for You and the hope You give us. You keep us going every day. Thank You, Jesus. We love You. In Your beautiful name we pray, Amen.

I’m thankful that Jesus is my light. I’m thankful that the darkness can never extinguish the Light.

Over eleven years ago my coworkers and I went through a stressful season as we implemented a new software. This was also around the time when my thirty-four year old friend died of sarcoma. And my grandmother passed away shortly after that. At that time I started using “Every Day is a Gift” in the signature in my email. And that has remained for over a decade. And another saying that I posted on my office wall was, “I woke up, I’m alive, I’m healthy.” This helped keep things in perspective. Little things will try to steal our joy, no matter what season we are in. So today and every day I’m thankful that I woke up, I’m alive, and I’m healthy.

What are you thankful for?

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. – Psalm 18:16

Lord, we don’t know where we would be without You. We are so thankful You pulled us out of the darkness. You lifted us out of the pit. You rescued us and You saved us. You are always doing something extraordinary in our lives. And even though we face difficulties at times, we trust You will do great things again and again. You are our victory and our shield. We are so thankful for You, Lord. We love you. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

I’m grateful that the Lord pulled me out of the deep waters. I’m grateful for discounts. My husband and I went to a couple of stores yesterday and snagged some good sales. I’m grateful for (American) football, because hearing NFL on TV reminds me of when I was a kid. My father would always have football on TV on Sundays. (And still does if he can get my mother to watch too.) And I’m grateful for kind words from others that brighten my day.

What are you grateful for?

I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. – Psalm 18:1-2

Dear Lord, You mean so much to us. You are our strength, our rock, our fortress, our deliverer, our salvation, and our stronghold. You mean everything to us. You are our firm foundation. We are so thankful for You and we put our trust in You. You won’t fail us. Thank You! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

I’m thankful that the Lord is my firm foundation. What a gift! I’m thankful for another day. We are not guaranteed tomorrow and when we remember that, it makes each day precious. And I’m thankful that a family member who was in the hospital went home yesterday.

What are you grateful for today?

Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. – Psalm 17:7-8

Dear Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for Your great love. You love us so much and You even call us the apple of Your eye. Where would we be if it wasn’t for the love of God? Our stories could have been so different, but Your love changed it all. You adopted us into Your family and You gave us new meaning. We are so thankful for You and Your unfailing love. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

I’m grateful for the great love of God. I’m grateful that my hubby walked the dogs in the drizzle yesterday so I wouldn’t have to go out in the wet weather. And I’m grateful for the kind people I work with.

What are you grateful for today?