In 1978, Henry Smith had just graduated from seminary. He was young with hopes of a successful future. Sadly, he had a difficult time finding a job. His health was failing, and he was struggling with degenerative eye disease. Henry’s hope for a fruitful future was fading.
Henry was wrestling with his future and turned to his faith for comfort. While attending worship, Henry listened as the pastor read from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. He heard the words, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9) Henry was overwhelmed with the thought of what God had done. His heart was full of gratitude, even in the midst of his trials.
Henry was inspired that day to put pen to paper. He wrote the words to a song that would help many express their gratitude to God. Henry wrote the song, “Give Thanks (With a Grateful Heart).” It would be recorded by Don Moen and eventually this song would become a worldwide success, helping people of faith express their gratitude to God. Here are the lyrics to this wonderful hymn:
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given
Jesus Christ, His Son
And now let the weak say, I am strong
Let the poor say, I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us
We all have moments in our lives when things are not going the way we wish they would. We battle to see hope in the future because of the struggles of the present. It is in moments like this that we benefit from remembering all that God has done for us. It starts with the gift of God’s Son. When we remember the love of God that led to Jesus’ arrival on earth, we begin to see hope clearly. Gratitude for God’s love, and what God does for us, helps us see that in our moments of weakness, God becomes our strength. For that we give thanks.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
