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"Therefore do not be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is.
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation;
but be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
giving thanks always for all things to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
(Ephesians 5:17-20)
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, and like many of you, it is one of my favorite holidays. I look forward to being with family and friends and giving thanks to God for all His blessings. We will also eat plenty of food and watch too much football, but hey, that's how we roll. I heard that if you live in California that you will not be allowed to meet with more than three families over the Thanksgiving Holiday, and when you do get together, you will have to wear masks. Now, if we lived in California, that would create quite a problem for us. We have three children, so that would make four families. Which of our children would we tell not to come over for Thanksgiving? I will be so glad when COVID-19 is in the past. I am praying for a vaccine, and I know people all over the world are praying the same.
Every day should be a day of giving thanks for the child of God. In fact, God commands us in His Word to be thankful. It is His will for us to give thanks, not just when times are great, but also when times are very hard. How do we give thanks "always for all things"? I believe the key is the last part of today's verse, which says, "to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Knowing that God is our Father and that Jesus Christ is Lord means we can give thanks in every situation. Of course, this does not mean that we thank God for horrible things that happen to us or others. We would never say, "I thank God that he got COVID-19," or "I thank God that she was the victim of that crime". No, not at all! However, we can thank God in the midst of these trials and all other horrible situations because we know that God is Jehovah Rophe, the LORD who heals. We also know that God is just, and He will bring to justice all who commit heinous crimes.
God does not teach or expect us to give thanks for evil or unjust actions, diseases, accidents, or other tough experiences. But I believe God surely wants us to give Him thanks no matter what happens, because He is still the Pantokrator, the sovereign Lord of all. (I love this Greek word; it is translated Almighty in Revelation 1:8 and is a clear reference to Jesus.) In fact, it is God's will that you give Him thanks. It is an act of worship to Him, and it does your soul everlasting good.
Our first reaction or default position when trouble comes or when we see evil in action is to throw our hands up in the air and be given over to a total sense of despair. But a much better and more godly approach would be to give God thanks in every situation knowing that He is as much in control during the tragedy as He was before it.
Would you pray for me at this point? I want to be able to thank and praise God right in the middle of the storm, to do precisely what Hebrews 13:15 teaches us to do: "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."
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