Thanksgiving with the mouth always stirs up thankfulness in the heart. Hear what Joni has to say about Psalm 100.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada. And when I first became paralyzed, I thought it was hypocritical to thank God when I did not feel thankful [you know, thanking God only to impress others]. But I knew I had to move forward; I knew I had to start somewhere. And that’s when I began loosening my tongue and mouthing words of thanks, hoping that somehow, God would be merciful and fill my heart with the emotion of true gratitude. I wasn’t hiding the hardness of an unthankful spirit. No, I was desperately hoping for the in-breaking of the Holy Spirit! And after several months, a miracle occurred: I began to feel the emotion of thankfulness. I learned that doing the right thing was a way of placing myself under the shower of God’s mercy. Because thanksgiving with the mouth always stirs up thankfulness in the heart. It’s what Psalm 100 says, “Be thankful unto him, and speak good of his name.”
© Joni and Friends