Many people have observed a tradition at Thanksgiving of asking each person at the dinner table to name something for which they are thankful. I do not object to this practice at all, but we should note the giving of thanks cannot be offered in a vacuum, as if we should pick and choose those things we value and acknowledge them to God. Paul told the believers at Thessaloniki that they should “in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18).
If we thank God for any one “thing,” we must acknowledge it as part of His total providence and we are then confessing Him as our Sustainer and Provider.