Day 250, Year 1

In Everything Give Thanks

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV)

The word “everything,” pas in Greek, here means “each, every, all, the whole, or all things.” Thus, we believers can thank God even for our failures, adversities, or misfortunes. Here are a few points to consider.

First, every life is a gift. In the 2010s, I had two consecutive dreams within a short time. In the dreams, the same God’s messenger presented one box to each married sister at a different time, both of whom later became pregnant. These two dreams made me deeply realize that every human life is bestowed by God. And every person is a gift, regardless of whether this gift appears perfect in human eyes. Hence, in my opinion, the essence of giving thanks for everything is that the creation of life alone is worthy of our gratitude toward God.

Second, everything can contain God’s will or intention, which is why we should thank Him for everything. Not everything is intrinsically worthy of thanking God, such as being hurt by others. However, believers should be grateful for the things permitted by God to happen in our lives, for they allow us to understand His will through everything. We should be open to God in all things and allow our minds to be illuminated, enlightened, and guided, so that we can understand His will in everything or every situation.

Third, before thanking God for something, it is sometimes necessary to first quiet our hearts. As mentioned previously, Job grieved the loss of his children, which is a natural human response. When we encounter unpleasant events, after times of sorrow, we should calm down our hearts and then pray to God. This will not only distance our minds from the negative influence of the events, but also shift our minds from the events onto God. We can then give thanks to God from our hearts and understand subsequent actions by His guidance.

Fourth, in the face of failure, adversity, or misfortune, believers can take actions besides giving thanks. Some people think that believers should “only” give thanks for everything. However, there is no such word as “only” in today’s verse. For instance, in Jesus’ teaching on prayers, He urged believers to seek redress from God after being treated with injustice, or ask for healing in sickness, etc. These prayers or actions are not in conflict with giving thanks to God in everything. In fact, when something pleasing occurs, people tend to express their gratitude quickly. Conversely, when things do not go well, we need careful reflection before thanking God. After experiencing different things, we need to summarize the lessons learned and reflect on ourselves in order to seek improvement.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you think that all the events that have befallen you are permitted by God or by His will and worthy of giving gratitude to Him? If not, why?

2) What do you think is the most difficult thing to do with giving thanks to God in everything? How would you overcome it?