IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES
Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)
Thanksgiving is a joyful holiday celebration. One of the most poignant was spent in Guatemala with my husband, away from loved ones back home, but yet surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ. In the midst of loneliness I was able to give sincere thanks to God for His presence in our everyday lives. It was hard living in a tiny apartment, in a large metropolitan third world city.
We were in another culture, another language, and really another world. Yet, we did give thanks and experienced the true joy which flows after thanks is given. Not that we were not thankful before, but a time set aside expressly for thanksgiving is good and as Paul writes, God’s will for us.
Want to know God’s will? Give thanks.
We read this verse and see the prepositional phrase: in all circumstances. It’s while we are in the situation, crisis, trauma, loss and more. Or the flip side, when God blesses us, shows favor and answers prayer too. Be a thankful people.
It takes grit at times to be thankful in the hospital room, chemo infusion center, at a graveside. Courage is needed to face each new day full of trials, suffering and betrayal. But, desiring to do God’s will requires us to give thanks.
When we cannot; the Holy Spirit in us can. Many times, I have come to the end of my rope. The tight rope is long, I am at the end and my strength is spent. I cannot move one step. My footing is unsure, unclear and weak.
Having been in a season of affliction, this verse of giving thanks is crucial for me. It keeps me focused, in a posture of thankfulness when all else seems hopeless – when hope is gone, life is sucked out.
It’s when I practice my ABC’s of God’s character, His names, things to be thankful for when my heart knows Jesus is near. I may not be able to walk half a mile, but I can walk fifty yards. I may not be able to do all the laundry, but I can fold and put it away. I may not be able to cook a full meal and clean up, but I can enjoy food prepared for me and be an encouragement for those who made it.
It’s perspective.
Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20 (NIV)
Do you spot the difference in the two verses? It has to do with the preposition – that little tiny word which enhances a sentence, gives direction and adds flavor.
We are encouraged to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18) – it is God’s will. Yes, understood. Excruciating at times, but with the Spirit’s help, we can.
But what about for all things? How in the world is this even possible? Do we sign up for a sick, demented place in the world when we give things for bad things happening? Why would God desire us to do this? Is He crazy? Are we crazy? Who wants to give thanks for pain and suffering? Seriously now.
And yet, it is here in this act of giving thanks is the sweet surrender. Being able to fully say, in trust, hope and confidence, “Not my will be done, but Yours,” I can give thanks.
In my life I have found this to be oh so true. I was able to acknowledge God in my circumstances and see His working in my suffering and affliction. I was able to recognize His will for me and accept His sovereign plan included suffering. I was at peace with my circumstances.
However, it was when I thanked God for my suffering came the shift – called surrender and it’s not easy. It is costly – much like the perfume a woman anointed Jesus’s feet with (see Luke 7:36-50). Surrender is giving of my will for the Father’s.
It is trusting Him beyond all reason and usually beyond understanding – for ourselves as well as those around.
It is here when other’s scratch their collective heads and consider signing us up for counseling sessions. It is here where following God comes with a price. It is here where we meet God.
Face to face.
And it is good. It is beautiful. It is rich and full of His glory because in our surrender, we are filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), we are becoming more like the Son and we have become the moldable clay God desires.
Having trouble giving thanks in all circumstances, let alone for all of them? We have a Counselor (John 14:16) Who helps us in our time of need. Spend time in your prayer closet thanking God in your suffering, circumstances and life. But fall on your face and thank Him for these very same things. You will be forever changed.
Father God, You are worthy of my praise, worship, thanksgiving, heart. I trust You in and for all things. Forgive me please for withholding part of me – the full surrender. I want to nurse the hurt; You want me to release it. I want to keep some back; You desire all. Right here, right now, I surrender. I need You more than ever and I accept Your will for my life. In the name of Jesus Your Son. AMEN
