Be Thankful

In “Everything” Give Thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:18

If we truly believe that God knows what’s best for us, there would be more praising and less complaining.  If we believe when His word says; “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” we would recognize the trials in our lives as God’s divine appointments and not as vain interruptions. When all appears well it is easy to sing the praises of our God loud and proud! We want everyone to know how good our God is, and how He is blessing us. But when pain, disappointments, delays, and tragedy arrives we don’t always find it easy to brag about what God is doing. Well, I will be the first to admit, it’s not always easy.  I have asked God plenty of times what in the world is going on, why, and for how long? 

James 1:2 says that we should count it all joy when we fall into divers trials or temptation. On the surface that is a hard pill to swallow. People would probably think you were crazy to go around rejoicing and praising God when your life looks wrecked! But we can remain thankful to God because we know that He is not finished with our story. We can thank God because He continues to give us the grace and strength to stand in the midst of our trials. I don’t believe James expects us to show utter excitement in direct response to hardship. However, we can rejoice and acknowledge God for the opportunity to be used as He reveals His power working in us!  Wether we are prospering, or in dire need, let us remain thankful because our circumstances will never change who God is.