Be Thankful
in every situation (no matter what the circumstances) be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thess 5:18. (AMP)
Praise be to God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
The past few weeks have been quite busy and challenging for me – mainly due to work commitments. In all these things, I am reminded to be thankful and to give thanks.
What is your situation like at the moment? Are you facing a major crisis? Are you discouraged, frustrated, fearful and uncertain? Or, are you celebrating a major event? Are you joyful, full of hope and confident about the future? It is easy to thank God in the “high” times. When all is going well and there is no sign of a valley or even a pothole ahead. But how do we remain thankful when things don’t go the way we want and when we face seemingly immovable mountains?
The answer lies in our perception or in the way that we see things. Jesus told his disciples that the health of the eyes (our perception) significantly affects our interpretation of the world around us (Matt 6:22-23). We can either view things in a spiritually healthy way or a spiritually unhealthy way. When we view things through the Word of God which is spirit and life (Jn 6:63) we can maintain a spiritually healthy attitude and therefore a thankful heart. But we do need to pay attention to the Word of God (Prov 4:20-22).
Consider the Israelites. God promised through His Word to Abraham, that He would free them from slavery, give then great wealth and lead them to the promised land (Gen 15:13-20). However, when God started them on their journey from captivity to the promised land, there were moments of celebration, as well as much grumbling and complaining on the way. “God brought us here to die” was their constant refrain (Exod 14:11, Num 20:4). The problem was not so much the difficult conditions they faced. Rather, it was because they failed to believe the promise of God to them (as Abraham’s descendants). Instead they saw only the difficult circumstances and believed in the lie that they were going to perish. This wrong perception caused them to be unthankful & ungrateful.
The bible warns us that being unthankful will be a sign of the end times (2Tim 3:2). How then do we develop an attitude of thankfulness in every situation no matter what the circumstance?
Well - thankfulness is rooted in trust in God. It was lack of trust in God that caused the Israelites to be unthankful. It was this same unbelief that eventually caused many of them to fail to enter into the promised land (Heb 3:19). When I am tempted to be unthankful, to complain, grumble or be negative, I remind myself of His Word to me in that situation. His Word is unfailing and true. There are many testimonies that clearly show that God is faithful even when we don’t see it. Prov 3:5-6 (AMP) says it this way “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way”. The writers of the psalms often commanded themselves to put their trust in God when they were feeling angry, depressed and tempted to complain. When they did this, they were able to thank and praise God (Psalm 42:11, 43:5). An attitude of thankfulness is developed as we trust in God and His Word.
An attitude of thankfulness is also developed when we focus on our blessings instead of on what we don’t have. Our generation is blessed abundantly. But it can be too easy to forget what we have and magnify what we don’t have. Do you have good health? Thank God! Do you have a clothes to wear, a safe place to sleep? Thank God! What about family and friends? Even if they are distant, you can count on the greatest friend of all – Jesus! Thank God for Him! Psalm 40:5 says “the Lord has multiplied his wondrous deeds and thoughts towards us – they are more than can be told”. No matter what your situation, you are truly blessed (Eph 1:3).
Being thankful does not mean “faking” our attitude. Rather it means letting the Holy Spirit influence our minds and our perceptions so that we can see things through His Word, in a healthy way. Even difficult and frustrating situations can be moments of thanks when we look at them from a godly perspective. For example, Jam 1:2-4 says the trials we face in life help us to mature as believers who lack nothing. We can thank God for this.
Friends – be thankful and give thanks to God - yes in every situation, no matter what the circumstance. He will always cause us to triumph in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 2:14)
QUESTIONS FOR MEDITATION / DISCUSSION
1. Identify one or two difficult situations you are going through (or have gone through) and how can you give thanks to God for them?
2. Name a character (or characters) in the bible who gave thanks. What was the result? (Some examples - Luke 17:11-19, Phil 1:3-8, John 11:41-44).
PRAYER POINTS
· Spend some time thanking and praising God
· Pray that God will help us develop an attitude of thanksgiving in all situations
· Pray through this scripture: 1 Tim 2:1-2 … that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
