Dear Missionary Lady,
Greetings in the name of our good God. Below is the next section in my study on praying during suffering. I hope it will be a blessing.
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18). This commandment of God does not change when we are in the midst of suffering. I’m not sure that any believer would suggest that it does. However, when things are difficult, it is much easier to focus on the hard things than on the good things. Sometimes it is even difficult to admit that there are any good things.
Even so, God does not say to give thanks only when things are good. He says to give thanks in everything. He says that this is His will for us. So there must be some way for us to give thanks, (and there is a divine expectation that we do so,) even when things are bad. “For of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45). Thankful hearts speak thankful words. Even when a believer’s heart doesn't feel thankful, he can still make a deliberate choice to thank God anyway. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15).
Often choosing to do the action will lead to a change in the heart. The truth is that it is not difficult for a thoughtful and observant Christian to be thankful. In the midst of suffering, however, thoughtfulness and objectivity get swallowed up by anxious and troubled thoughts. Often, when so many things are going wrong, it is not that we can’t be thankful. It is more likely that we just forget or don’t think about it – (unless, of course, our embittered hearts are simply refusing to do so).
Let’s assume that we are willing to give thanks. Let’s assume that we recognize it as God’s will. Let’s assume that we are choosing to do it. The remaining questions then are how and for what to give thanks.
I am not a Hebrew scholar, so I am not certain about this, but the verse says, “In every thing,” not “For everything.” I think that means that thankfulness should be a constant state, something that we are able to do regardless of circumstances, much like Paul was able to be content “in whatsoever state I am.” That doesn’t mean we ignore the difficulty or misunderstand it to be pleasant, but it means that even in that setting, we are still able to give thanks.
I think the first area of thankfulness would be for things outside the suffering. These can be temporal blessings. In Macedonia, Paul was in a time of great affliction, but when Titus came and brought comforting news regarding other believers, Paul was comforted by Titus’s visit, and he “rejoiced the more” in the news regarding the Corinthian church (II Corinthians 7:5-7).
This can include thankfulness for God’s past work. The author of Hebrews encouraged his readers to “call to remembrance the former days” (10:32) when they had gone through a time of great suffering; they were brought through that challenging time with joy as they focused on their “better and an enduring substance” (10:34). This combines the idea of spiritual blessing with the concept of remembering past blessings, much as Asaph did in Psalm 77:11-20.
When the scattered Jews were “in heaviness through manifold temptations,” Peter said they were able to “greatly rejoice” as they focused on their “lively hope” and “incorruptible, and undefiled” inheritance (I Peter 1:3-6). Remembering our status in Christ and our future with Him are reasons for giving thanks.
The possibilities for thankfulness outside the trial itself are abundant. These can be for the minor and major details of life: food, safety, a home, clothing, a job, communication, sunshine, rain, nature, conveniences, etc. They can be for incidents or answered prayer in our own lives or for others. They can be for blessings that come to others. They can be for spiritual blessings, the nature of God, and eternal hope.
Second, we can be thankful for what God is doing through the trial. God is never absent, and there is much to be thankful for if we will simply take note of what He is doing. For example, we can be thankful that God limits suffering. The author of Hebrews reminds his readers that they had “not yet resisted unto blood” (Hebrews 12:4), and other verses refer to “a season” or “a while” (I Peter 1:6 and 5:10). We can be thankful that God is always with us to help us (Hebrews 13:5-6) when we face fears and adversaries. James links the reality of Job’s suffering with the truth that God is “very pitiful, and of tender mercy” within the suffering (James 5:10-11). We can be thankful for general truths like these as well as for specific divine intervention and care that we see in our individual situations.
Third, we can be thankful for the trial itself. Although the Thessalonians verse talks about being thankful “in every thing,” Ephesians 5:20 does specify that we should be “giving thanks always for all things.” That would certainly seem to include the hard things. This level of thankfulness requires some maturity and perspective. We have to understand some of God’s purposes for trials; when we do so, we can give thanks for the means that God uses to accomplish His purposes. God is working out His good plan in us, through us, and around us, even through what is difficult. This is much like a child (or adult) who gives thanks for vegetables that he doesn’t particularly care for, but he recognizes that they provide valuable nutrients and nourishment. This particular aspect of thankfulness reflects the very important submission of our hearts to accept the plan of God.
There are various methods for effectively giving thanks. We can do it spontaneously but purposefully throughout the day as things happen. This happens as we try to be intentionally aware of God's constant presence and work. We can also have a particular time of day to enumerate things for which we are thankful. A time toward the end of the day would enable us to think through our day and recall the various reasons for thanks. We can list these verbally (especially in prayer) or put them in writing. Over the long term, it can be particularly helpful to keep a written record of the more significant demonstrations of God's work and goodness. It might help to set a goal for each day, like 25, or to give a certain number, like 5, at repeated times throughout the day. Whatever the method, the heart is the important thing, that we are choosing to genuinely be thankful.
While I’m not aware of any special instruction to give thanks specifically during trials, it is a very important mental adjustment. Being thankful, even if it is by deliberate choice, is a way to recognize God’s goodness at a time when our hearts are tempted to ignore or even deny His goodness. Being thankful lifts our hearts and minds from negativity and protects them from slipping into bitterness and discontent. Being thankful gives God some of the honor and worship that He deserves.
May God bless you this week and shower you with many reasons to give thanks.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
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