“In everything give thanks for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Why does God command us to give thanks in everything we face? We
read that verse and agree with it – it’s good to be thankful – and we move on but we don’t often think about why thankfulness is
important. There are several benefits to consider.
First, when we give thanks in everything, good and bad, we acknowledge that God is the great designer of our lives and is in control of what happens to us. Our praise and thanksgiving to Him does not depend on pleasure we receive in our lives. God is worthy of praise, no matter what happens.
Second, being thankful in everything causes us to remember God. So often we face hard times and recognize our need for God. We take the situation to him in prayer and seek His leading and answer. Much to our great delight (and surprise?) God answers our prayers. We delight in His response and go on in or life. That is the story of the ten lepers who brought their terrible disease to the Lord. They begged him to
heal them. They knew He could but would He? To their great delight He answered their prayer. They then followed his direction to
go see the priest to be pronounced clean according to the law of God. As they went they were likely in great joy, laughing and talking
about their new lives. Their futures looked bright but there was one thing wrong – their backs were to the Lord. They had failed to thank the Lord. Daniel is a great example to us of how our lives should express thanksgiving in all things. In Daniel 2 King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that troubles him. When his Chaldean wise men cannot tell him his dream and the interpretation he orders them all to be killed immediately, including Daniel. Daniel finds out the situation and seeks for God to reveal to him the dream and its interpretation. During a night of prayer, God answers Daniel. Remember the situation is urgent. Wise men are being gathered up and some are likely being killed. Daniel and his three friends lives are on the line as well and their time is running out. Yet we read in Daniel 2:20-23 that after Daniel receives the answer he takes time to praise and thank God. “I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, You have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.” In Daniel’s life thanking God first was the priority even ahead of his own life.
Finally we read in Romans 1 that after unbelievers fail to glorify God they then no longer give him thanks. What was the result?
Romans 1:21 says their thoughts, their deliberations, their reasoning became vain. That means it was aimless, empty or perverted.
They enjoyed God’s many blessings but their backs were turned to God. He was forgotten.
What can we learn? In scripture we are warned not to forget God. When we forget God we turn our back to Him. We know He’s there if we need Him, We do not deny Him, we just ignore Him and soon we forget about Him until He sends a crisis (in everything give thanks!) to remind us to stay in fellowship with Him. But God wants us to
remember Him because we love Him, not because He is worthy of it. So He gives us a simple and easy gift, thankfulness to use IF we remember to . How do we develop our thankfulness? Study the character of God and His goodness and mercy to you. Think about where you would be without His compassion.
“O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endures forever.“