Kristin Schultz
Editor’s Note: This article was one of our most popular articles last fall. As I looked back at it, I marveled at how much changes in 6 months and yet how much stays the same for followers of Jesus. I think you’ll enjoy the article just as much as you may have last fall and you’ll read it with new eyes after living the spring of 2020.
At least once in your lifetime, you have probably received a terrible gift. Maybe you can picture your 10-year-old self, feverishly tearing wrapping paper from a package, eagerly opening the box and . . . feeling an immediate rush of disappointment. If your mom was anything like my mom, the very next thing you heard was a pointed question, whispered in your ear, “What do you say?”
There was only one answer to that question.
“Thank you.”
You had to look at the person who had given you something you did not want—would probably never use—and tell them you were grateful.
God’s Word reminds us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV).
It’s easy to be thankful when things are going well. But how often are we grateful when life is hard? Have you ever found yourself praying prayers like these?
“Thank you, Lord, for Susan, even though she is difficult to work with and can’t follow through on anything.”
“Thank you, Lord, even though my church has financial problems and I don’t see how we’ll pay this month’s electric bill.”
“Thank you, Lord, . . . I guess. The doctor says my father has Alzheimer’s disease. I have no idea how we will cope with that!”
Prayers like these seem more like parodies, more like the kind of sarcasm those who hate Christians might throw back in our face. But giving thanks in times of trouble is part of biblical gratitude. It is also part of the process of growing up in our faith.
In 2 Corinthians 11:23–33, Paul itemizes the many hardships he has suffered in order to share the Gospel. He has been beaten, stoned, and shipwrecked. He has faced robbers. He has endured danger in cities and in the countryside. He has been hungry, cold, and tired, and he has nearly drowned. On top of it all, he has borne continuing “anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28 ESV).
But in it all, Paul is thankful. Even though nearly all his letters demand an end to false teaching and ungodly living, he nevertheless begins most of his correspondence with expressions of gratitude. He is thankful for the church in Ephesus because of their faith in Jesus and their love for one another. He is thankful for the church at Philippi because of their partnership in the Gospel and the practical support they have provided. He is thankful for the church at Colossae because of their faith and hope.
Paul wrote each of those three letters from prison, and yet he was thankful! He was thankful in spite of his circumstances, and he doesn’t leave us wondering why. Paul tells us that in his own weakness, God’s strength is made more fully known. In suffering, Paul’s only option is to rely on the grace he has been given in Jesus. And that grace is more than enough!
We, too, can “give thanks in all circumstances,” knowing that, no matter what, our Lord will never leave us. Every circumstance is an opportunity to experience God’s faithfulness and to praise him for his providence in our lives. Jesus suffered, died, and rose again for us. You can trust a Savior who would do all that—for you!
Still, if you’ve been struggling with thankfulness, you probably won’t just wake up tomorrow praising God for life’s tragedies. But as you ask, the Holy Spirit will help transform your perspective. Your prayers may start to sound something like this:
“Lord, Susan is tough to deal with, but I thank you for her heart for your Word and ministry. Help me have patience and the wisdom to know how best to work with her.”
“Lord, thank you for the people in our church who give regularly and support this ministry with their offerings. Teach us to use our resources wisely as we seek your will.”
“Lord, you are the Great Physician. Thank you for your unfailing love for my family and me. Work through the doctors and nurses that are helping my dad. Thank you for their talents and gifts. I praise you because you are merciful and take away our pain—if not in this life, then in the next.”
We grow more grateful, too, when we begin to notice all the many “small” blessings our Lord gives day by day. As you practice being thankful, you might start by intentionally thanking God more often:
“Thank you, God, for a working vehicle that gets me where I need to go.”
“Thank you, God, for a good night’s sleep.”
“Thank you, God, that we were all ready to leave on time.”
“Thank you, God, that I made it through the day without an argument with my teenager.”
“Thank you, God, for a productive day with few interruptions.”
“Thank you, God, for good weather at this weekend’s retreat.”
God gives us what we need even when we don’t realize it. He protects us even when we don’t notice. He provides in ways we don’t see coming. He has taken all your flaws, all your doubts, all your impatience, all your selfishness, and all your thanklessness and nailed them to the cross of Jesus. Their power has been defeated!
Life’s circumstances can sometimes feel like a gift you wish you hadn’t opened. But knowing God’s promise to work in everything for your good makes it possible to say in all honesty, “Thank you.”
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