No Matter What, Give Thanks 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks to God, regardless of your circumstances. All this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. When I read this verse I think of specific people in my life, believers, who I have seen suffer sudden and great loss. The loss they suffered was so great I actually wondered at the time how they would then perceive God and if they would ever be able to come to Him again because of their great suffering. Would they blame God? I prayed fervently for these dear sisters and brothers and I watched. I saw something that overwhelmed me and also encouraged me beyond words. These people, in all their grief and pain never ceased to worship and praise their God through it all. I saw broken people giving God the worship He so deserves. They knew God was not the one who caused their pain and although questions may have been in their minds of why they were going through such difficult times, they knew God was still God. He was still their Father and loved them. He was still the one who brought them peace and wholeness. I saw these folks exemplifying everything it is to be a believer. In all of our circumstances, in life, good and bad, God wants us to continue to thank Him for who He is - NOT FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCES, but for who He is to us in those circumstances.Why? Because when we are in: Grief, He is our joy (Psalm 16:11) Poverty, He is our abundance (1Corinthians 1:5,Philipians 4:19) Sickness, He is our healing (Exodus 15:26) Depression, He is our joy (Isaiah 61:3) Trouble, He is our rescue (50:15) Thanking and praising God will release His power into the situation. He is the answer to whatever ails us. Bad circumstances are part of life but allowing God into that circumstance and thanking Him for being what we need Him to be in that situation is our choice. Let God into your circumstance today and thank Him for being all you need Him to be in that area.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 07:39:14 +0000