“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
I Thessalonians 5:18 KJV
God’s will for your life is simple. “…In everything give thanks…” Now that doesn’t mean for everything, but in all circumstances and situations. It also doesn’t mean that you’re to be thankful in only some situations or circumstances; when you’re having a good day or when things are going your way, but it means that you’re to give thanks in the midst of trials and troubles.
No matter what’s happening in your life, there’s always something for which to be grateful, and that’s why we’re to give thanks.
- You have a serious car accident, but no one is killed.
- You lose your home to a fire, but everyone gets out safely – even your dog.
- You lose your job through corporate lay-offs, but your family pulls together and works together during this difficult time.
- You bury a child or a spouse, but you know you’ll see them again in Heaven.
- You (or a loved one) has just been diagnosed with a dreaded disease, but you know that God will guide you through the incredibly difficult decisions you must make.
No matter what you go through in life, there’s always something good to be thankful for. God wants us to focus on:
- the good, not the bad
- the positive, not the negative
- His blessings, not our struggles
James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Everything good comes from God, and that’s what we’re to be thankful for: the good. A genuine spirit of thanksgiving precedes answered prayer, and we all want to know that God will hear and answer our prayers.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
We’re to bring our petitions to God with a heart of thanksgiving. So when you are thankful in all things and humbly come before God in prayer with an attitude of gratitude, He will bless you with an incredible peace that will permeate both your heart and mind. And that peace is only available through Jesus.
Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”
You see, God’s peace and thanksgiving go hand-in-hand.
Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
It’s God’s will for all His children to be thankful in all things. A thankful heart will give you peace beyond human understanding, and that’s something that no amount of money can purchase.