"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

-1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

 

Giving thanks. Gratitude. Appreciation. We are all told that there is always something to give thanks for. We are often told that we must have an attitude of gratitude because there is always something to be thankful for. We are told to be appreciative of what we have instead of focusing on what we don't have because there is always something to be thankful for. But is there really always something to be thankful for? Am I supposed to thank God for my pain? Am I supposed to thank God for my setbacks? Am I supposed to really thank God for both good and bad things? Is that even a realistic expectation to place upon anyone? That simply is not possible! Or is it?

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Here's what we must understand. Although it seems cliché when we are constantly 'preached' to about being thankful and having gratitude, there is real transformative power and substance behind this. Of course, if we look at thanks and gratitude from the perspective that 'the universe controls all things" and that "the world always has something to give to us", of course relentless thanks and gratitude are going to seem more like jargon and gimmick than sounded doctrine. It is going to of course both sound and feel like a 'buzz word' or a 'catch phrase'. It is going to feel like something that we are supposed to say as a positive affirmation or word of encouragement. However, if we take the idea of thanks and gratitude and put God in the context of it and place Jesus at the center of it, and we open our hearts and our minds to grasp what it means, we truly can adapt a 'give thanks' mindset and an 'attitude of gratitude'.

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The scripture below instructs us to give thanks in all things and in all situations (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

"IF YOU SAY SO!". We are human indeed. And it is that human side of us that replies just like that. It is our human side that thinks, "Yeah Right!". Quite often it is hard to find a reason why we should be thankful for the trials and situations that we experience because they take such a toll on us and wreak so much havoc upon us that it is hard to see what good if any this 'thing' that we are faced with has brought into our lives. It is hard to see how we are winning when the outcome of things seems more like defeat than victory. How can we be thankful when it seems like failure is prevailing? Let's Dissect our first scripture:

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"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

-1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

 

While it may be difficult to thank God for both good and bad things, it is very much possible to thank Him amid it. Giving thanks in all things, giving thanks in all situations, giving thanks in all circumstances, is not the same as giving thanks for all things.

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It might be hard to thank God for your health diagnosis but in the midst of it you can be thankful that there was a diagnosis that did not go undiscovered. You can be thankful that you now know what was causing the pain even if you can't be thankful for the pain. You might not be able to be thankful for the diagnosis, but you can be thankful that there is a cure, a surgery, or medication that can provide a solution for you. You might not be able to thank Him if you are told that there are no options but in the midst of it, you can thank Him for giving you strength to cope, a support system to fight with you, a doctor to help navigate you through it, and hope to help you to overcome the burden of it. You may not be able to thank Him for this battle but through faith and through trust in Him, you can find the courage to believe in Him enough to rely on Him to fight for you. Through faith you can trust that He has it under control although it is out of your control.

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You might not be able to say, "Lord, I thank you that I lost my job." But in the midst of it, you can be thankful that you still have a roof over your head. In the circumstance itself, you can be thankful that perhaps you had money that you had put aside that you can use to help you with some expenses even if not all. You can be thankful that you have not gone without food. In the midst of it, you can thank Him that He has given you a sound mind. In the midst of it, you can be thankful that He has been keeping you and providing for you in a way that goes beyond your level of understanding. You may not be able to thank Him for being unemployed, but you can thank Him that in the midst of what you are facing, it is causing you to realize the state of your faith, whether realizing you need more of it or realizing that you have more than you thought you had. Through faith you can believe that He has a plan and a purpose for what you are facing and by faith you can trust Him to carry you through.

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Facing the trials in our lives and thanking God as we face them is impossible without God as our strength and without Him as our guide. The scripture above (1 Thessalonians 5:18) states that it is God's will that in all circumstances, we give thanks. In other words, it is God's intent that when we face the trials of life, we are thankful as we face these challenges because our ability to be thankful as we face these things is made possible by our ability to cast our burdens and cares upon Him. God wants us to have a dependence on Him. God wants us to have faith and trust in Him to do for us what seems like the impossible. God wants to give us a 'testimony' that shows the power of who He is and what He can do. Being able to be thankful in all circumstances is going to be difficult when the odds are against you, but the God of David does not fear the big things in life, and neither should you. However, you won't be able to truly feel this way until you learn to place every trial, test, and situation into God's hands.

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God knows that we are going to experience fear. He knows that we are going to become discouraged. He knows that we are at times going to feel trapped in our circumstances. He knows that we are going to lose heart. He knows that we are going to lose our faith. He knows that we are going to lose our will to fight. However, this is why He tells us to place our trust in Him. We won't ever be able to see the good in the bad things that we are faced with unless we look to God. We won't be able to thank Him through all circumstances unless we look to Him.

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If we dig deeper into God telling us to give thanks in all circumstances because this is His will for us, if we truly dig, we are reminded that God is omnipotent. He is all knowing. He has already orchestrated 'everything' and 'every circumstance' that we will ever face. He is already aware of what lies ahead. Therefore, if we read between the lines, His telling us to give thanks in 'all things' and in 'all circumstances' is His way of letting us know that HE'S ALREADY HANDLED IT! You can give thanks because HE'S ALREADY WORKED IT OUT!

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If you read the verses prior to 1 Thessalonians 5:18, they tell us to "Rejoice always" and "Pray continually". This tells us that as we face life we are to always rejoice, pray continually, and be thankful in all that we face because He is in control. If this is His will then that means that He has already made a 'way'. If it is His will for us to give thanks for all circumstances, then it is also His will that we endure them, which means that He allowed us to experience these things with an intent in mind, which means that IT IS IN HIS HANDS.

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Furthermore, as we continue to dig, we will realize that 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reflects Romans 8:28 which states, "And we know that in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (NIV).

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Here it is in Romans 8, that we are told that 'ALL THINGS' work for our good, for those of us who love God who have been called based on the 'intent' and 'will' that He has for us. Then in moving along to 1 Thessalonians 5, this same idea resurfaces but we miss it because it's presented differently. 

 

It is one thing to tell us that everything is going to work for our good (as Romans 8:28 tells us); that sounds uplifting, it takes the pressure off of us. However, 1Thessalonians 5:18 automatically appears difficult because it is telling us to be 'thankful in all circumstances' because that is God's will for us. This automatically causes some hesitance because it puts us in a position in which it calls for us to change our perspective of what we consider to be the bad things in life. It places emphasis on the fact that we have to 'do something' (give thanks) because 'God wants us to' (His will for us). This goes beyond what we feel like we are humanly capable of doing. It is easier to accept what the scripture says when it seems like most of the responsibility is placed on God but harder to grasp when it seems that the responsibility rests upon us. If we truly reflect on it, these two scriptures are sending us a joint message:

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             "And we know that in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called                        according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28 (NIV)

 

            "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

 

Regardless of what we face, God has a plan, intent, and purpose for it. And no matter the circumstance, it is all working to our benefit. Therefore, it is God's will that we rejoice and give thanks for whatever we face, because He is in control. He has worked it out. It was His design for us. We are to thank Him for whatever we face, it is His will that allows it, and it is through His will that we will overcome it, but we must reverence Him and give thanks believing that He knows what He is doing.

 

Thanks while Facing Uncertainties

 

Jesus Gave Thanks-The Last Supper

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"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take it; this is my body.' Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 'This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,' he said to them." -Mark 14:22-24 (NIV)

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Even amidst what he knew he had to face, Jesus was able to still give thanks. During the last supper that Jesus had with his disciples, he knew what lied ahead. He knew that his purpose had to be fulfilled. Although his disciples wrestled with this, realizing that he had to be used for the purpose of which God called him forth, he still gave thanks.

When we face things in our natural lives, we may sometimes find ourselves not wanting to eat better yet giving thanks for what we are about to consume or anything else for that matter. But Jesus during this moment that he knew would be his last meal with his disciples blessed the bread, giving thanks, not just for their consuming of the bread but Jesus was fully aware and made sure that his disciples were aware of what it represented. Jesus then took the cup and gave thanks letting his disciples know that it stood for his blood that would be shed for the forgiveness of our sins. This bread and this cup represented Jesus' body that would be bruised, scarred, and wreaked with pain and the blood that would be poured from it that would give us new life, bringing forth a new covenant. Therefore, while we may look at Jesus blessing this bread as a mere grace, it was much more than that. His giving thanks for the contents of the cup was not just a mere giving thanks for the drink that the cup contained. Jesus was giving thanks for these things with an acknowledgement of what he would have to endure.

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We might think that because of who Jesus was, it was easy for him to endure this process. We might think that because Jesus was 'perfect', it made it easy for him to be thankful amid something so distressing. However, it was not easy for him because as we read the Word of God, we see that there is a moment between the last supper and the moment that he was arrested that Jesus had a 'very real' moment in which he became worried and troubled. We find Jesus even asking God if the 'cup' could be taken away from him, but nonetheless, expressing if it be God's will and not his own. Nothing about what he had to yield to was easy. He may have been perfect, but he was ALSO EVER SO HUMAN! He felt the anguish, the pain, and the weight of his purpose. However, in his heart, he trusted in God's plan for him.

 

Daniel Gave Thanks-The Den of Lions

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"Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before." -Daniel 6:10 (NIV)

 

Because we may sometimes find it hard to look past Jesus being 'perfect' we will also expound on another individual who was a great example of what it means to give thanks amidst one's circumstances. We discussed the story of Daniel in the "FAITH, FIRES, PITS and Survival" blog posts. Daniel found himself in a situation in which he had to choose if he would fear and follow the instructions of 'man' or if he would continue to praise the God whom he served.

In the book of Daniel, Chapter 6, we find that a decree was written stating that anyone who prayed to any other god or human besides the king within the 30-day timeframe that was given, would be put into the lion's den. When Daniel heard about this decree, he did not allow it to hinder his praise, worship, and thanks to God. Although he knew that if he was caught praying, he would be thrown into the den of lions, Daniel stood firm in prayer. He stood firm in his worship. He STILL GAVE THANKS.

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Sometimes the trials in our lives can make us feel like we are being torn apart, making it hard for many of us to be able to give thanks for the circumstances that we may find ourselves in. However, here is Daniel who was not 'perfect'. He was not the Messiah. He was just as human as they come, and he chose to stand firm and give thanks while knowing that his praying and giving thanks would put him face to face with something destructible. He understood that his praying and giving thanks would put him in a den with beasts, that could literally tear him to shreds, trample him, and devour him.

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Daniel's ability to still give God thanks lied in the fact that he had an assurance in who his God was. He knew what God could do. And it was because of his trust in God and his ability to still hold on to God that allowed him to overcome his circumstance. The scriptures emphasize and point to the fact that "when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God" (Daniel 6:23, NIV). 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, instructs us to rejoice, pray continually, and be thankful amidst all of our circumstances because it is God's will for us and Daniel did just that. Even when faced with the consequence of the lion's den, he did not cease from praying and giving thanks to God because he knew and understood who was in control.

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It is not easy to thank God when we are hurting, disappointed, grieving, suffering, worried, broken, stressed, and wreaked with pain whether physical, spiritual, or emotional, but when we put what stands before us in God's hands it helps us to let go of what we are facing and trust that He has a plan and purpose for it. It helps us to acknowledge His power. It helps us to stop depending on our strength and find rest in His and it is through this that we are better able to give thanks because we come into the realization that "WHILE WE CAN'T, GOD CAN!"

 

So back to our original questions: Is there always something to be thankful for? Are we supposed to thank God for both good and bad things? Is it a realistic expectation to place upon anyone? Is it possible?

 

Yes, there is always something to be thankful for, we just have to look past our hurt, pain, and anguish, to find it. The 'how' lies in Matthew 19:26 which states, "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (NIV). It is very much possible, but we can't do it without God! Our biggest hurdle as we face our trials is going to be that while giving thanks is possible, it's not easy. It is going to at times be difficult to have gratitude for anything when we are surrounded by what seems like so much suffering, which is why we must do all that we can to let go and put our battles in God's hands. God never promised us that life would be easy, but He has promised us that He will see us through. We just have to trust Him at His word as he has said, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" -Matthew 28:20 (NIV). We must trust, obey, and never doubt.

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Have a Blessed Thanksgiving and may you find gratitude and give thanks for someone or something in the midst of wherever you are!