Wholehearted Thankfulness: God is Good

Thankfulness Devotional

“I will thank the LORD with all my heart! I will tell about all your amazing deeds!” — Psalm 9:1 (NET)

In the middle of everyday busyness, “wholehearted thankfulness” shines like a guiding light. It’s not just a quick “thank you” we toss out now and then—it’s a way of living.

Around the holidays, life can feel like a whirlwind—shopping, wrapping, planning. And when we hand someone a gift, their response usually falls into one of two camps: either a genuine, heartfelt “thank you” or a polite little nod. You know the kind—it’s sweet, but it doesn’t quite land. And it makes me think… our gratitude toward God should never be like that polite nod. It should come from deep down in our hearts.

Psalm 9:1 is such a beautiful reminder to thank the Lord with all our heart and to tell about all the amazing things He’s done. But sometimes we forget to look for those things. Are we only thankful for the big, loud blessings? Or do we take time to notice the quiet, everyday ones?

I remember going through a stretch where everything felt gray. Nothing was going the way I’d hoped, and I carried around this heavy sense of discouragement. That’s when I felt the Holy Spirit gently nudge me: “You know the Lord is good… so why aren’t you living like you believe it?” And truthfully, I had stopped being thankful. It wasn’t because God wasn’t blessing me—it was because I wasn’t acknowledging those blessings.

That’s when I began to really press in. I didn’t want to just say thanks—I wanted to live it. Wholehearted thankfulness meant seeing His goodness, even in the hard days. It meant taking time to remember that He’s working behind the scenes, even when I can’t see it yet.

Wholehearted thankfulness isn’t something we save for the holidays. It’s a daily choice. It’s waking up and saying, “Lord, thank You”—not because everything’s perfect, but because You are. It changes how we walk through our days and how we see the world around us.

So, as we move through this season and whatever comes next, let’s thank Him with our whole hearts. Let’s notice the blessings. Let’s talk about what He’s done. He’s worthy of more than a passing “thank you”—He’s worthy of our whole heart.

Thankful

Dear Heavenly Father,
I come before You with a heart full of gratitude—for the big blessings, the little ones, and the ones I’ve missed along the way. Even when life feels heavy, help me to see the beauty in it.
Thank You for being so faithful, so kind, and so good.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Before You Go...
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And if you’re looking for more reminders to stay rooted in gratitude, check out the other thankfulness devotions on the blog—I’d love for you to read along. 💛