In the midst of troubling times and circumstances, the Lord has a very useful tool to bring peace to us: give thanks.

Counting our blessings and focusing on all the benefits He has given us is a way to worship Him. This restores our faith and draws our focus from problems back to all the ways He has provided and cared for us.

There is a reason that thanksgiving is described in scripture as a weapon of war. Often the war we’re fighting is in our mind, because our faith is a channel to Heaven. If we become negative or down in the dumps, our faith dries up and we’re not receiving from Heaven what we need to live victoriously.

“He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me, and to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.” Notice that honoring God with thanksgiving precedes “ordering our way aright” (Psalm 50:23, NASB). In other words, our thoughts, conversation, and actions align with Heaven and become righteous when we bring the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

When thanksgiving doesn’t come automatically – when it is difficult to give thanks – that is a sacrifice. That is the best time to thank God, for when it costs us something, we truly honor Him.