I began my study by looking for the words thanks, thanksgiving, and gratitude. I wanted to search for praise too, but I decided to focus on thanks specifically. What I found most interesting is that the word gratitude isn't used at all in the entire Book of Mormon! Luckily there are references to thanks and thanksgiving :) This has really opened my eyes to the importance of expressing gratitude in all things and for all people.
THANKS (used 24 times in the first half of the Book of Mormon)
According to the Webster's 1828 dictionary the definition of thanks is...
"n. Expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment made to express a sense of favor or kindness received. Gratitude is the feeling or sentiment excited by kindness; thanks are the expression of that sentiment."
1 Nephi 2:
Lehi builds and altar and gives thanks to the Lord after leaving Jerusalem and settling in the wilderness. I found this really impressive because Lehi and his family had literally just left all their belongings behind to travel to a place they'd never been to and still managed to give thanks. That is so awesome. It makes me realize that even in times of trial there is still so much to thank our Heavenly Father for.
1 Nephi 5:
Lehi and his family give thanks unto God for preserving his sons and helping them obtain the brass plates from King Laban. Whenever good things happen to us we should give thanks to God. It is important to recognize that they did not only credit themselves for their success, but God. Without God's help, the sons of Lehi probably would not have been able to obtain the brass plates from Laban.
1 Nephi 7:
Lehi and Ishmael's family give thanks to God after He (God) forgives Laman and the others who helped in binding up Nephi. Often we give thanks for temporal things that we are given, but how often to we thank the Lord for forgiving us of our sins. That is one of the most important things that God can do because it concerns our eternal salvation. I need to work on explicitly expressing my gratitude towards the Lord for forgiving me of my sins.
1 Nephi 16:
Nephi and his family give thanks to God for helping them find food in the wilderness. This may seem to be an obvious reason to give thanks to God...but it made me wonder how often I thank God for the food that I have. I've never been put in a situation where I haven't had any food to eat. It makes me wonder what I would do if I didn't have food. It also makes me want to be more grateful for the food that I do have. Having food in abundance is definitely something that I sometimes take for granted.
2 Nephi 9:
We are taught by Jacob to give thanks to God. In his sermon Jacob is reminding us to be thankful. Reminders are definitely necessary in keeping us on the right track. I don't have too much to say about this verse, but what I do know is that it is so important to be grateful. We are also commanded to listen to our prophets and church leaders. Jacob was a leader; therefore it is very important for us to listen to and obey his words.
2 Nephi 29:
This verse doesn't talk about thanks to God, but it asks whether the Gentiles have "thank[ed]" the Jews for the Bible. This is probably one of the only references so far that I have found without a specific reference to God. I can relate this to my life by remembering that it is extremely important to acknowledge the people around us for what they do. Thank you notes and expressions of love are great ways to go about showing gratitude for others.
Mosiah 2:
The first reference to thanks is in verse four and it talks about how King Benjamin's people brought offerings to give thanks to the Lord for delivering them and preserving them. The next few references are in verses 19 and 20. King Benjamin is speaking and is basically telling the people that if I deserve thanks from you, think of how much more thanks should be given to God. We should "render" all that we have in us to thank our God who has kept and preserved us each day. Every movement we make, every breath we take is dependent upon the will of God. For him to bless us and preserve every part of our being is something to be extremely grateful for.
Mosiah 8:
King Limhi gives thanks to God after Ammon tells him about all that seers can do (and that they can even translate the Jaredite plates). If I were in King Limhi's position I would probably feel the same way. It must've been such a great thing to learn about seers and their abilities. The power of God is so evident in their abilities.
Mosiah 18:
Alma commands the followers of Christ that they should give thanks to the Lord every day. Yet another important church leader commands us to give thanks. Thanks is very important, especially because so many prophets have taught us to be grateful and give thanks.
Mosiah 24:
Alma's people gave thanks to God after he had eased their burdens and helped them escape from bondage safely. Even though the Lord could not take away the burdens of Alma's people, he strengthened them and helped them carry their burdens. Also, he helped them escape. I love that the people of Alma didn't only credit themselves for their accomplishments, but thanked the Lord. They are such an amazing example of humility.
Mosiah 25:
After everyone is gathered back together in Zarahemla, they share their stories. When they hear the story of Alma, they thought of the goodness of God and began to thank Him. The message I got out of this is that just because you give thanks once doesn't mean you shouldn't do it it again. Thanks can be given over and over and over again. I don't think anyone will complain if you thank them too much! (Is that even possible?)
Mosiah 26:
The leaders of the church were commanded to tell the people to give "thanks in all things." Once again church leaders tell the people to give thanks. Thanks is becoming a common recurring theme in the Book of Mormon. No wonder so many of today's church leaders stress the importance of gratitude.
Alma 7:
We are taught to return thanks to God for anything that we receive. The word specifically used in this verse is "whatsoever" things that we receive. I like that because we should be thanking God for everything that we have; not just the big things. Small things too should be accounted for! Often the small things and the things we don't think about as often are the most important. (Like....the ability for me to breath at this very moment).
Alma 8:
Alma gives thanks to God after being taken into Amulek's home. I love that Alma, as powerful as he is, is still humble enough to thank the Lord. We always talk about the importance of humility in being able to follow the Savior. In order to become humble though, it is important to be grateful. Gratitude leads to humility, which allows us to be more willing to follow the commandments.
Alma 24:
I believe it is Anti-Nephi-Lehi's who are thanking God for several things: sending the Nephites to convince them of the wicked traditions of their fathers, giving them the Spirit to soften their hearts, being convinced of their sins through the softening of their heart, and for repentance and forgiveness. There is so much to be grateful for. I love the fact that the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's recognize that it was the power of God, not a single person or group of people that converted them to the true church of God.
Alma 26:
Ammon talks about giving thanks to the Lord in both verses. In verse 37 he specifically thanks God for being "mindful of every people." This specific verse has always been one of my favorites because it shows that God will remember me because he is "mindful of every people" wherever they live. I could live in the most remote place on earth and he would remember me. Looking at it from the gratitude perspective made me like this verse even more. I'm not sure if I've ever gave thanks to God for simply being mindful of me before.....but it is something so huge and important (it makes me feel special) and I should be acknowledging my Heavenly Father for what he does.
THANKSGIVING (used 3 times in the first half of the Book of Mormon)
According to the Webster's 1828 dictionary the definition of thanksgiving is...
"n. The act of rendering thanks or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies."
2 Nephi 8:
I'm not quite sure how to interpret this verse, but the idea that I got from it is that in Zion there will be much thanksgiving. That means that in great places where there is much comfort and love, there will be thanks also. Sometimes I try to imagine what it would be like in a world where people didn't show gratitude...and I feel that if that were the case there would be no love either. Therefore we must be grateful so that we can show love and feel love towards one another.
Alma 19:
Ammon falls to the earth and "pours" out his soul in thanksgiving to God for answering his prayers and "pouring" out the Spirit unto the Lamanites. I know that I've talked about this before, but I still love when people give all credit to the Lord for helping them in whatever task they have done. Ammon did preach to the Lamanite king, yet he knew that without the Spirit of the Lord, he could not have changed the ways of this king.
Alma 26:
In this verse Ammon pours out his soul in thanksgiving to God for being mindful of everyone and being so merciful. The same verse uses the word "thanks" as well. I think you get the same idea from each word and it gives emphasis to the idea of gratitude. I hope that I can show more gratitude for the Lord for simply knowing that I'm here and remembering me at all times.
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