Psalm 107:1 NLT
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! 
His faithful love endures forever. 

[11/27/2024; iPhone 14 ProMax] 

Thanksgiving has always been a season that pulls my heart toward gratitude, but the year I spent it in Poland felt different. There was no turkey waiting in the oven, no familiar rhythm of home and no typical home-bound holiday buzz. It has been 4 years now since I have been home for Thanksgiving, which is pretty wild to think about but I’m genuinely grateful for the technology that keeps me connected to family, and even more grateful that I got to explore a whole new place with a good buddy. Poland in late fall has a gentleness to it, gray skies that soften the city, some light rain as it hits historic streets, and a culture marked by resilience. As my buddy Cole and I walked through the streets of Warsaw, I felt wrapped in a sense of history and reverence. There’s a humble beauty to Poland, a kind that doesn’t shout for attention but reveals itself slowly. And somehow, it became the perfect backdrop for what God put in my heart about worship, gratitude, and the posture of the heart.  

Jehoshaphat’s Praise-Led Battle (2 Chronicles 20) and Israel’s craving in the wilderness (Numbers 11). 

Both stories couldn’t be more different, yet both highlight one truth: 
Gratitude turns what you have into enough. 

“The battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15 

In Chronicles, the people of Judah were surrounded by enemies on every side. Outnumbered, and overwhelmed. But when God spoke, He didn’t tell them to sharpen their swords, He told them to stand firm and worship. “Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him…” (2 Chronicles 20:21) 

And Jehoshaphat actually sent the singers ahead of the soldiers. 

Their song? 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever.” 

“As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes…” (2 Chronicles 20:22). And as they worshiped, God fought for them. 
Through worship alone, they were able to defeat the opposing army without lifting a single sword by an act of faith and worship. The Lord had caused confusion amongst the opposing armies that came against Judah (Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir). They all began to strike each other until not one enemy soldier was left. What a story. Back when I used to compete in amateur boxing, I would always listen to the song “Forever” by Chris Tomlin while warming up, moments before a bout, specifically because of this story from 2 Chronicles, since the lyrics mirror the praises straight from this story “Give thanks to the Lord Our God and King His love endures forever.” Even in the high-pressure moments right before a fight, it reminded me to give thanks, not just in tense moments, but in both the wins and the losses of life.  

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Give thanks whatever happens. This is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.” 
 

Then there’s the opposite story. 

God had provided Manna, or “bread from heaven,” daily to the people of Israel while in the desert, what a miracle! But Israel grew tired of it. They craved more. They complained and they demanded something different. “We want meat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt…” (Numbers 11:4–5) 

Now let’s rewind a bit, back to the book of Exodus, specifically Chapter 15. These are the same people of God who find themselves enslaved in Egypt for 400 years, and they cry out to God basically saying “God if you would deliver us from slavery, then we would be grateful because we would be free and it is the only thing we would ever want.”

Now fast forward and we have God using Moses to lead the Israelites to be free from slavery, they witness the parting of the Red Sea and we end up in Exodus 15:22-24 Where for three days they were traveling in the desert and started to think God led them out there to die, so they begged for water from God. I can hear it now. “If you don’t give us water then we can’t be grateful” It only took three days of adversity, but God still provides them water but still they complain in Exodus 16:1-3 “The Israelites said to them, if only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There were abound pots of meat and we ate all the food we wanted but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” 

If only you just did x, y, and z, then we would be grateful.

Now we’re back to Manna, God had provided Manna, and everything that they could possibly need to survive! But Israel grew tired of it. They craved more. They complained. They demanded something different. “We want meat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt…” (Numbers 11:4–5) 

What if God gave you everything you could ever ask for? Would you be grateful then? 

Their craving came from a place of complaining and discontent. Imagine God sustaining for you and freeing you, only to see yourself wishing to go back to the place you were literally freed out of captivity from. Truth is we are not all that different. But God still answeres us. 

God told Moses: 

“You will eat meat… not for one day… but for a whole month.” (Numbers 11:18–20) 

The people of Israel actually doubted Gods capability in that promise. They thought how would that actually be possible. How on earth could God possibly feed 2 million people in the middle of the desert from the Sinai Peninsula? Here is the Lord’s response to this. Numbers 11:21-23 “The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you” 

Then God brought a supernatural wind that blew quail into the camp: 

“Quail were flying about… and fell all around the camp.” (Numbers 11:31-34) 

There was so much quail that each person collected no less than 50 bushels (That’s a ton of quail!). 

The issue wasn’t the meat itself. 
It was the ingratitude and craving underneath it. 

God had faithfully provided manna, but they rejected His provision and demanded something “better.” Then they began to eat so much meat that they began to get sick. 

The Scripture proceeds to say: 

“While the meat was still between their teeth… the Lord struck them with a severe plague.” (Numbers 11:33) 

That place was later named Kibroth-hattaavah, which translates to “The graves of craving.” 

When you want more and more and more and more from God, you end up in a grave of craving. 

A place where ingratitude buried them. 

“He gave them exactly what they asked for-but along with it they got an empty heart” Psalm 106:15 

Read that again, man that’s deep.

“He gave them exactly what they asked for-but along with it they got an empty heart” Psalm 106:15 

Isn’t that wild? 
When we stop giving thanks for what God provides, our cravings can destroy us. 

Connecting the Two:

What we do with our gratitude shapes the direction of our hearts. We need to discipline ourselves to be grateful.  

Psalm 100:4 says the password into Gods presence is “Thank You”

When we say “thank you” we are literally putting our soul in the presence of God and moving towards heaven. 

One story shows people thanking God before the miracle. 
The other shows people complaining in the middle of a miracle. 

One led to victory. 
The other led to graves. 

Closing

Hold fast to the attitude of gratitude: We give thanks to YOU Lord our God and our King, your faithful love endures forever. His love hasn’t changed. His faithfulness hasn’t shifted. And He’s still fighting battles we can’t see. 

Philippians 4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

God’s love knows no borders, His goodness has no end, and His faithfulness reaches to the sky and sustains us forever.

Jesus is KING. 

As you reflect this week, ask yourself: 

Where have I seen God’s provision, even if it looked bland like “Manna”? 

What would it look like for me to put praise at the front of my battles this season? 

What are your plans for Thanksgiving this year?

Please share in the comments!

💎