It’s no secret that gratitude has many benefits for our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. A quick internet search will provide a list of benefits including reduced stress, lower rates of heart disease, a more positive outlook, and an increase in resilience when facing difficult circumstances. I wonder if this is one of the reasons why God tells us to praise him? I wonder if he, as the creator of our minds and bodies, wants us to know that gratefulness is good for us. Being grateful isn’t always easy. Sometimes, the hardships and trials of life cause us to spend our time thinking of how to survive rather than giving thanks. Giving thanks in scarcity is what Regina Belle’s gospel song “God is Good” is all about. Recognizing that it is God who gives us all that we need and telling others of his goodness not only helps our mindset, but it improves our outcomes. This stomp clap, call and response tune declares that God brought me out of darkness, he guides my every footstep, he puts shoes on my feet, money in my pocket, food on my table, and he saved my soul.
We also see this type of remembering the things God has done when we read the scriptures. Psalm 66:16 says “Come and listen, all who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.”[1] Regardless of what we may be facing, we can look at what he has done for us and declare God is Good!
[1] Christian Standard Bible, Homan Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2020 p. 908