Giving Thanks in All Circumstances
Near the end of his first correspondence to the church in Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul gives his readers a joyful challenge. He encourages them to, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Paul says, in all circumstances, followers of Jesus ought to have this unwavering disposition, a strange cocktail of joy and prayerfulness and gratitude. It's the will of God. His instruction teaches us that thankfulness is not a response to our situation. Thankfulness is a response to our hope. Giving thanks, despite our circumstances, takes incredible discipline. Not because it's hard to find ways that God has been good and faithful and generous. It takes work because we get distracted, don't we? And we often fail to see with the eyes of faith.
Giving thanks requires watchfulness.
Through the hustle of a day, season, or year ... we often don't slow down long enough to take stock of God's work in our life. But writer N.T. Wright says, "It is only when we slow down our lives that we can catch up to God." When we pause and consider even the most mundane moments, we always find a reason for gratitude. We don’t glamorize these circumstance, rather we search for the Lord’s presence and power. Sleeping through the night is a mark of God's gracious protection (Proverbs 3:24). Even waking up with worry in the middle of the night is an opportunity to affirm the firm foundation we have in Christ (Psalm 119:62). Busyness reminds us of the purpose and meaning God has given us in our families, community, and work (Colossians 3:23). Days off speak of God's love for us; he sees us as more than workers of his will (Hebrews 4:9-11).
Giving thanks also requires faith.
If life is simply what we see with our eyes and feel with our bodies, then thanksgiving is out of step in many circumstances. It can even be harmful. But if this life persists beyond what is seen and felt, then there's always more to see. When a man named Thomas infamously doubts the resurrection, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). Jesus was glad Thomas believed. But he also acknowledges that trust is the only eyes through which most of us would see the Resurrected Lord. The writer of Hebrews says, "faith is ... the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Giving thanks is often about starring directly at sorrow, suffering, addiction, and injustice and seeing hope. We don’t ignore problems. Our pain causes us to see and long for a future filled with resurrection. We give thanks then because God redeems the afflictions of life to bring about his will (Ephesians 1:11). As one songwriter puts it, "He's not done until it's good."
Giving thanks in all circumstances is not about glamorizing the mundane and ignoring the painful realities of life. It's about seeing with faith, through and beyond these things to see the God who is at work in all circumstances.
