In Everything Give Thanks

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is a very popular verse with a very practical message particularly in lieu of this season of the year. Yet, as practical and popular as this message might be, how many people do you know who are genuinely thankful?

We live in a world of gripers and complainers. Bad news and frustrating events seem to occupy the bulk of our thoughts and conversations: the traffic was terrible today, thirteen more people came down with the Swine flu, the lines in the grocery store were ridiculous, can you believe the gas went up another 10 cents yesterday, and the Chiefs lost again! And on and on it goes.

Is it possible to be thankful all the time? Aren’t people who go around thanking God for everything a bit disconnected from reality? Don’t most people think that’s kind of weird?

Yes, it is possible to be thankful all the time, but it won’t be accidental; people who are genuinely grateful are purposeful and spiritually alert. It’s not the thankful folks who are disconnected from reality, but the unthankful. Thankful people are aware of some very realistic truths about God and the way He cares for His own. Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:25-33 that if God cares for the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, we can be certain that He cares for each one of us. He also taught us in Matthew 10:30 that God keeps track of the very hairs of our head; implying that God pays attention to the most minute details of our life. He can make the brightest rainbows of hope spring out of the darkest clouds of despair; the deepest valleys of humiliation can yield the most fragrant flowers of faith and love. We can trust the perpetual power of His providential care, and rest in the fact that He does all things well and all things will indeed work together for our ultimate good. Yes, we can be thankful in all things… it may be weird to a wayward world, but it’s the way God meant for us to live.