Todah... (The Act of Thanksgiving)

Todah is the Hebrew word for thanksgiving. It also means praise and confession. Since the scripture is permeated with thanksgiving, our lives are to be permeated with thanksgiving as well. 

By todah, we do not only mean thanking God for a beautiful car, a well furnished house or the appointment at the workplace but also trusting and praising God even when there is no reason to do so. 

So often we want to wait and see how things will turn out before we give thanks to God. But this wait-and-see attitude reveals a lack of faith. Amidst our problems, faith testifies that "we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose"{Rom. 8:28} and this is why New Covenant teaches, "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. {I Thes. 5:18}

Todah, as in the case of Job, was trust in God even when there was no reason to. { Job 13:14-15} You do not understand what God is saying but you still trust in Him...this is todah. Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego trusted in God even when they knew that they would be killed. Paul and Silas trusted God and rendered unto Him unconditional praises while they were in Prison. Do not wait to see how things will turn out, instead, give thanks to God now! Thanksgiving is a sacrifice of faith that reflects trust in God's sovereign will. God does not force us to believe; we believe Him because He is trustworthy.

Personal faith in God should mean dependence on who He is and as such, when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free-will. {Lev. 22:29} Sometimes, our circumstances are so difficult that giving thanks to God is truly a choice --- a free will offering of faith should be ascribed to God. This same faith was demonstrated by Prophet Jonah in the fish belly when he said; "But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving... Salvation is from the Lord". {Jonah 2:9 }

In a nutshell, TODAH is the unconditional trust in God portrayed through consistent worship, praise and thanksgiving. Even if it is deeply bad, you should still worship God.