The Bible is filled with moments of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.

There’s praise for the victory after He delivers. Praise for His goodness after He heals. Thanksgiving for the His love and mercy after salvation. There’s praise when the Red Sea parts, when Daniel is delivered from the lion’s den, when the blind receive sight and the lame begin to walk.

But there’s also praise in prison, when Paul and Silas worshipped with the chains still on. There’s praise as a weapon, when the children of Israel marched around Jericho’s walls before they fell. There’s praise in grief and sickness, when Job proclaimed God’s goodness in the worst of circumstances.

In the seasons of plenty and the seasons of emptiness, you can find praise and thanksgiving offered up to the Most High throughout His word. Why? Because He is worthy is every moment, both good and bad.

And Psalms 22:3 reminds us that He is “enthroned on the praises” of His people. He is lifted high and glorified as we worship, whether in our victory or in our battle. His power, His goodness, His faithfulness is not dimmed by our circumstances. No, rather we can choose to present our thanksgiving with a joyful heart that recognizes who He is, wherever we are.

I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving this year. But if this is a season that is less than ideal, painful, or full of grief, I pray you will find the strength to make it a worshipful Thanksgiving, an enduring Thanksgiving, a Thanksgiving full of praise for your most high God.