Give Thanks in All Circumstances

Thanksgiving is upon us! I’ve been thinking about gratitude recently. What is it? When should we show it? What does God say about gratitude?

Paul wrote in Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” The reality of this is that most of us are thankful for very little. The Bible commands us to give thanks in all circumstances.  When we praise God in difficult circumstances, a miracle often happens. The scales fall from our eyes, and God’s glory is sprinkled on the things that were pulling us down. It’s often hard to see glory in tragedy, but we can still praise God because we know He is there. Gratitude changes the lens in which we see the circumstances we are facing. Thanksgiving changes our perspective despite broken dreams, broken relationships and unfulfilled longings.

We have all been through a difficult year. None of us have ever been through a pandemic and how it affects every one of us. We are used to get-togethers with family and friends. We are used to going to football games, soccer games and concerts. We like gathering in restaurants and having fellowship dinners at church. We miss the hugs and hellos we get from friends. We miss the family times with children and grandchildren. Indeed, this has been a difficult year.

As we praise God for who He is and thank Him for what He’s done, our perspective of God grows larger and our problems grow smaller. As you praise God, you will feel closer to God, and when you feel closer to God, life has a way of smoothing out. Read Psalm 42, and you will see that as David praised God, he began to feel better. David realized that his problems grew smaller as his perspective of God grew larger. It was through praising God that David began to see God’s glory shining through his problems.

When we stop complaining and begin speaking God’s love language of gratitude, our perspective will change. We will begin to see moments of glory through the lens of praise and thanksgiving. These glory moments were there all along but were hidden from the grumbling eye.

It’s Thanksgiving time! May we begin right now giving thanks in all circumstances – looking for God’s glory!

Prayer – God, I praise your name. Even though I may not understand what’going on in my life, I trust you and give you credit for all things good. Amen.

I Thessalonians 5:18 – “Give thanks in all circumstances.”

By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Image: Adobe iStock