“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)
“Why should I give thanks for all the negative things that are going on in my life?” one may ask.
I remember one evening, while we were out witnessing and sharing the Gospel, we stopped at the home of a young lady. She took the opportunity to show us her deplorable living conditions, sharing with us that God saw her situation and yet allowed her to live in such a state. She believed she had no reason to thank Him; she had no reason to acknowledge Him because she had been in that situation for a while.
Beloved, God commands us to give Him thanks in everything. Therefore, we must live with an attitude of gratitude. He said, “In EVERYTHING”, whether the times are ‘good’ or ‘bad’, whether your prayers were answered or not, whether you were healed or not – the list could go on. Psalm 92:1 (KJV) says, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord …”.
We have reasons to give thanks at all times:
- It is because of Jesus that we are alive; it’s His breath in our lungs. It is He who wakes us up every morning in our right minds – for this, we should express our gratitude.
- God wants us to thank Him for His providence and sovereignty. Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities – for this, we should simply say, “Thank You, God.”
- There is not a single thing that we own or a single thing about who we are or what we have that God has not given to us – for this, we have another reason to say, “Thank You, God”.
Therefore, even if the negatives in your life blind you, there is always something to give God thanks for.
It can be easy to take things for granted and not acknowledge God’s goodness. The young lady mentioned earlier just saw the negative circumstances, not realising that she had life and, with belief in God, could turn her situation around. God wants us to see Him for who He is. He is all-knowing. Let’s be grateful to Him.
Read: 1 Chronicles 16:34; Colossians 4:2
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 128; James 2; Ezekiel 33:21-33; Ezekiel 34; Ezekiel 35
