One hundred and fifty-one times the Bible talks about giving thanks. We give thanks for good times but we are also to give thanks in bad. Not for the bad thing that is happening, but for how God will use this thing to accomplish his will, even if we never understand what that might be.
Lord, Thank You In All Circumstances
How easy to give thanks for the birth of a child, a marriage, a beautiful day, but how difficult to give thanks when death is at our side, when divorce comes, or when storms destroy our world. David says in Psalm 119:164, that he praised God seven times a day because God's judgments were righteous. Seven times a day David praised God, sometimes when his world was crumbling around him. Do we praise God even once a day?
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." It is quite literally God's will for us to give thanks in everything!
A Grateful Heart Is A Happy Heart - David and Paul
Psychology tells us that grateful people live happier, more content, lives. The Bible says the same. Anytime we are following the will of God we will be happier. It is the will of God to have a thankful heart.
David says in Psalm 106:1, to praise and give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and mercy. David learned to be grateful for whatever circumstances he found himself in.
How can we be thankful in the midst of sorrow? We praise God that He is Lord, He is good, He is merciful, He loves us, He made us, He died for us, and He is with us when no one else is. When you are thankful in bad times, it forces you to think of all the good that is still around you.
Paul also praised God in every situation. In Acts 16:25, we find Paul and Silas in prison. Their clothes had been torn off and they were beaten terribly. What are they doing? Crying? Begging their guards to be free? Wailing about their terrible luck? No! They were praying, singing and praising God and the other prisoners heard them. Their lives, in the midst of their bad times, were a witness to God.
God Is Good - All The Time
When we look for, and acknowledge, the good that God has done for us, we will be closer to the Lord. We will be obedient. We know that His will should be done, not ours. Just as we pray, "... Thy will be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven." Every time we find ourselves complaining, let us be mindful of God's blessings and try to find the faith to be grateful for the many blessings God has given us, both known and unknown.
In your own life have there been times when you have been thankful even when things were going badly? Have you had a "Paul and Silas" moment? Has God blessed you when you praised Him in good times and in bad? I would love to hear what God has done for you.
Lord, thank you!
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