God is the recipient of thanksgiving, but it is offered in the name of Jesus Christ. The Father is entitled to gratitude because He is our Father (Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 4:4-6). He has demonstrated His Fatherhood in the giving of His Son; therefore prayer and thanksgiving are offered in the Son’s name. Since through Christ all that the Father has to give has been made available to men, we can approach our God with the utmost confidence (John 14:13; 15:16; 16:23, 24).
God and the Father.
Rather, “God, even the Father.”
All things.
Things unpleasant as well as pleasant (Job 2:10; Rom. 8:28). There is no special virtue in being thankful merely for blessings received, any more than there is in loving one’s friends (Matt. 5:46). Hardships, like our enemies, are more difficult to live with.
Giving thanks.
“Nothing tends more to promote health of body and of soul than does a spirit of gratitude and praise” (MH 251). The spirit of praise is an antidote to evil and discouragement. When everything else is at its worst, the Christian is at his best and is most cheerful. The spirit of thankfulness prevails in joy or in sorrow, in victory or in defeat, for it is a permanent, sustaining attribute of Christian character (see Col. 3:17; 1 Thess. 5:18).