Respond By Giving Thanks
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20
When our worlds are being torn apart, when our children are being rebellious, when we lose our jobs, when our savings are gone, when the car does not start, when our business's go under, when we lose a loved one, when we are angry with our parents. Does God actually expect us to give thanks, to be grateful, in times like these? YES!
When we are asking, "Why?" When we feel that we don't deserve to be treated the way that we are being treated. We are to give thanks.
The "How" is not easy to answer. But, if we look at the reasons why we are to be thankful, perhaps the "How" will come to us.
Dr. Charles Stanley sermon, "The Key To Giving Thanks In Everything", tells us why we are to be thankful in everything.
- To be aware of His presence in our life all of the time. Not just in good times.
- To be aware of our dependence on Him.
- Recognize our submission to Him. To be able to say, "Lord I can't. I don't know how to deal with this."
- Remind us we are to trust Him for everything.
- Helps us to understand what God is up to in our lives.
- Aid our witness to those going through difficulty, when they can see a sense of gratitude in our hearts.
- Anchors us to our peace in God.
- Keeps our focus on Him. This keeps us from getting overwhelmed with our circumstances.
It is certainly not easy to be thankful when everything we've worked for is going down the drain. When we begin to question God. When our circumstances are so bad, we do not see anything around us to be grateful for.
This leads us to the key to giving thanks: I must be able to see God in all things.
Some things will happen to us that will lead us to blaming God. If God is so good and loving why would He allow some bad things to happen?
Not all things are meant to be explained in this life. This life we live does have mysteries. Some questions will not be answered until that day when we meet Jesus in heaven.