“Always giving thanks for every everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20 NIV)
Always and everything: two of the most absolute words I know. They are right up there with ‘never’ and ‘nothing’. Absolutely are uncomfortable, they don’t leave much room for misstep.
We’ve been on a journey through the thanksgiving scriptures this month. We’ve discussed some significant gratitude challenge: giving thanks in advance and arrears, giving thanks when we don’t understand. We’ve given thanks for others, for our enemies, for our eventual victory over sin and death. We’ve give thanks for authority, including those we don’t agree with. Today feels like the culmination of all these instructions and quite possibly the toughest thanks of all. Always give thanks for everything.
Two and a half years ago, my dad and brother were in a horrific automobile accident. After six days wrestling death in a Kansas City ICU bed, Dad went home. My older brother came to live with me. Our theologies rubbed up against each other every day. One evening we were brushing teeth when my brother asked how I could possibly be thankful for the pain and brokenness, loss and hardship we were real-time crawling through. I swallowed hard. How could I condense years of prayer and study into a bite-sized, comprehendible sermon? I stammered something about being too close to the tragedy, sometimes we have to go a ways before we can see the good that God is doing. We’ve got to keep walking, keep trusting and keep our eyes open for the gifts He’s given.
We lose sight of the good when we stare at today with human eyes and human objectives. It’s hard to be thankful when we are filled with pain, but if we can lift our sight to divine perspective, we can see that in all this mess of fallen humanity, He’s working out a forever plan for all that would call Him Father. He’s redeeming, He’s just operating on a much bigger scale than we can see. He cares far more about the state of our soul than the state of our flesh. He’ll do anything and everything short of sin to get our attention and invite us into relationship. He’s even allow the short-term suffering of believers for the opportunity to touch the hearts of unbelievers. God is always working on eternity. We know this because He tells us today’s troubles are light and momentary in comparison to tomorrow’s glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17)
Armed with this knowledge, we can be thankful always for everything. We can rest secure in His sovereignty. We can remember that for the believer, suffering has a finish line. We can walk and work and rest in peace knowing our good God is on the throne and worthy of all praise.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have bee called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)
Lord, please forgive us for our reluctance to give thanks, always for everything. You realize how limited our sight is. We are grateful for Your grace that covers our shortcomings. Challenge us in this area of gratitude. Hey us see You amidst hardship. Help us trust that eternity is always Your first concern, make it our primary objective as well. We love You, Lord, and can’t hardly wait to make heaven our Home. Amen.
Anna: My family is going through something that is testing our faith right now, I keep telling myself that we STILL have a lot to be thankful for. Some days it is more difficult to convince myself of this. Thank you so much for your wise words which I look forward to each day. They help keep me on the “straight and narrow” path toward Home.
I’m sorry to hear that you are being tested right now. It is easy to say God is faithful when we are not being tested, it is a whole other animal to trust His faithfulness when it feels like things are falling apart. I’m glad to offer hope in this season for you. There have been many, many times I’ve had to reach for others to lay my hands on hope again. I will add you to my prayer list, Lois Ann. God bless you and yours. May you see His faithfulness anew again soon.