Give Thanks!

Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the LORD.
Search for the LORD and for his strength;
continually seek him.
Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
you children of his servant Abraham,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
Psalm 105:1-5

Someone once said that possibly the two most powerful words are thank you. The apostle Paul, being well-acquainted with Psalm 105 as a Pharisee, was very generous with saying thank you. As you know, Paul traveled quite a bit starting churches throughout the Middle East. In every one of his letters that he writes to these churches once he is gone he tells them he thanks God for them. He thanks God for their faith, strength, outreach, and more. He thanks God for the people and the church whether it was a positive or a negative experience. Paul had learned that gratitude is critical to a stable and growing faith. He needed to be thankful to God for every occasion because in every occasion God has a plan.

Thanking God for the good things in life is easy: salvation, family, health, friends, good times, etc. Thanking God for the bad things in life is not easy, but necessary. Have you thanked God for the furloughs? Have you thanked God that the month is longer than the paycheck? Have you thanked God for the difficult child, wayward teen, failing grade, loveless marriage, roof damage, wrecked car, bad hair days, your teenage daughter’s pregnancy, or bullies?

I am not saying we should be happy about any of these items nor am I making light of the very strong emotions some would cause. What I am saying is we should find ways to be thankful, even in the difficult moments of our lives. What can I learn from this situation? How can God receive glory in my trial? How can my faith deepen through this difficulty? In the good, see things God’s way. In the bad, see things God’s way. Be thankful in all things.