Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.

Psalm 86:11-13

What are you most thankful for this day? For me, giving thanks to God begins with gratitude for His plan of redemption.

In the verses above from this Psalm, David describes his dependence on God for how to live his life with “an undivided heart”, and gives honor and thanks for God’s love and deliverance from the depths of hell – “the realm of the dead.”

Paul wrote of the same idea in his letter to the Romans –

God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us….For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 5:8, 10-11

At the end of our lives, only God’s redemption will matter. That reconciliation with God is foundational to being able to truly thankful, first to God and then for the blessings in our lives.