The Spiritual Power of Thanksgiving

It is easy to reduce or simplify thanksgiving and gratitude to a
reflexive, instinctive response to blessing or good fortune—our
emotional state in our response to God when we recognize and
experience His goodness and provision in our lives. But what
happens when thanksgiving, commanded by Scripture, doesn’t come
easily or naturally? Can thanksgiving be “required” of us? Can
thanksgiving be authentically offered as a sacrifice back to God,
despite our circumstantial reality?