Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Most people are fairly comfortable being thankful for God’s provisions and for the people in their lives.  While we may not feel that our circumstances are quite as perfect as those depicted in Norm Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want”, we can generally muster a fairly strong attitude of thankfulness.  Certainly when we feel that things are going relatively well, we are filled with thankfulness, but what about when the times are tough.  Thanksgiving of 1992 I woke up in the hospital after having an ERCP the previous day.  I was in pain and groggy; I barely remember celebrating the holiday, let alone being thankful.  I would later learn that while they were attempting to diagnose me that fall, my college roommate was enduring similar testing and would succumb to colon cancer the following February.  As I look forward to this Thanksgiving, I’m still saddened by the death of a close friend and for the grief that his family and friends are enduring.   Caring for ailing and dying loved ones can be more draining than joy inspiring…especially when managing your own ongoing health issues.  Job losses, divorces, family rifts, etc. are additional challenges to joy and thankfulness…and then there is the persecuted church.  In fact, there seems to be no end to the number of situations that may undermine our joy and thankfulness.  Yet Paul tells us to give thanks in every circumstance as it is God’s will for us.  Lest you think he’s asking too much, he speaks from experience.  He was beaten, imprisoned, ship wrecked, and in danger among other trials (2 Corinthians 11:23-27) yet he finds it appropriate to be thankful.  The challenge that we often face when reading this passage comes down to two basic questions: why and how?

With respect to the why, we must first understand that it is not the pain and suffering themselves that we are to be thankful for, but rather what is behind them.  The first basic and logical step to joy considers that God’s will is sovereign and His plans can’t be thwarted, therefore, just accepting the situations that we can’t influence, no matter how difficult will provide the foundation for joy and thankfulness.  It is not a blind or stoic acceptance, but rather trust in the One who is faithful.  The next step considers that wherever we find ourselves it is “God’s will”, or in other words: it is God’s plan for us.  As Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, His plans are to bring hope and a future.  These are the plans of our Heavenly Father who loves us and is truly looking out for our best interests.  Further, Romans 8:28 assures us that those plans are for God’s glory and our good.  With that basis, we begin to see the reason for thanksgiving as Almighty God knows us intimately and is actively at work in our lives because He cares for us.  As Romans 8:29 goes on to say, that is God working to conform us to the image of His Son which, for Christians, is the ultimate goal.  Finally, when that suffering is due to our faith, as opposed to our folly, we are participating in the suffering of Christ…another indication of God’s Spirit in us and at work.  (1 Peter 4:12-14)

Often times we may understand the why but aren’t confident that we can muster the right frame of mind or energy to truly be joyful and thankful.  Quite honestly, we can’t truly rejoice and be thankful in our own power.  Paul gives us the first ray of hope in the passage above.  When we pray without ceasing, we have a closer relationship with our Lord which provides greater confidence in His love and His promises for when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8).  Further, the more we are aware of His presence with us, the more we are encouraged.  Finally, we are reminded that God (and our joy in Him) is our source of strength and that He will provide what is necessary in our time of need.  (Neh. 8:10, Ps. 46:1, Isaiah 40:29, Phil. 4:13) And there is the beauty of this truth; as we face trials and learn to trust in our Lord, we are equipped and trained to run with endurance and our hope and trust in God grow.  It’s not about the suffering, but rather what the suffering is accomplishing.

Happiness and sadness appropriately rise and fall with our circumstances.  However, joy and thankfulness look behind the circumstances to the work that God doing in our lives to strengthen us, equip us and conform us to the likeness of our Savior in order to provide endurance and hope in our hearts while allowing us to glorify Him as we walk the path that He has planned for us.  As we approach the Thanksgiving season, let us willingly yield to the work of God in our souls thankful for both the blessings and the trials for they are God’s perfect will for us and the evidence that He not only accepts us as we are, but also loves us so much that He is perfecting us to receive our final reward.

Consider it all joy, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Will