The Continuity of Thanksgiving

Having seen the clarification and the cause of Thanksgiving, I would like now to address the continuity of Thanksgiving. We know what it is and why we do it- but when are we supposed to be thankful? When everything's going our way? When we're financially secure? When good things happen? Surely these are the kinds of situations that make it easy to be thankful, but I would argue from Biblical examples that we are also to show gratitude to God when we're struggling to accept our circumstances. Whether we are facing persecution, the loss of a loved one, a separation from friends, depression, or a host of other situations that tend to make us frustrated rather than thankful, we are encouraged to remain strong and give God the glory through our hardships.

It's important to keep up the thankful attitude when times are good; at first, this may seem like it goes without saying, but the fact of the matter is that we quite easily forget about the Provider while we are enjoying His blessings. Always remember that every gift has a giver- and as is stated in James 1:17, “Every good gift and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Everything blessing we have can be traced back to our heavenly Father, from the food on our table to the friends and family sitting around it.

It's easy enough to say grace before eating Thanksgiving dinner or to praise God in a church service, but are we able to maintain that grateful outlook when circumstances start to deteriorate? When times are tough, enemies encircle us, and perhaps even friends desert us, can we still praise the Lord? Absolutely. However, if our relationship with Him has deteriorated while we were enjoying the clear sailing, we may have a hard time letting go of what we valued.

In the way of an example, let's suppose that I bought a car at a very good price; hopefully, at least to start out, I would express my gratitude to God for giving me the capability to earn sufficient funds, and for providing such a good deal. Over time, however, it would be all too easy to forget that the car is a privilege and to slip into the mindset of “I earned this car, and I deserve it.” What happens if I swerve off the road and total the car? Well, now I've lost that which was so important to me- what could I possibly thank God for? After all, didn't He allow this crash to happen? A better attitude would be to realize that my Father allowed me to keep my life in that crash, and to remember the words of Job 1:21^b, in which Job declares, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

A car is a relatively insignificant example, especially if your car is as cheap as mine. Perhaps your attitude is positive enough that you would remain grateful to the Lord if your vehicle was wrecked. What about if your brother or sister was killed in a traffic accident? What if your parents got a divorce? What if you were slowly dying of cancer? How would your attitude be then? Looking through the Psalms, we can find many examples of men of God showing their thankfulness for His providence even in the midst of trials, persecution, and death. Look at Psalm 31, verse 7 and 8:

“I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy,

For You have considered my trouble;

You have known my soul in adversities,

And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy;

You have set my feet in a wide place.”

No human is infallible; even men with great faith such as David and Job had times in their lives where they seem to have lost their sense of gratitude in the face of their struggles. We have the greatest example of thankfulness in the life of Jesus Christ. He never missed an opportunity to give praise to the Father! He showed thankfulness in John 11:41; the verse reads, “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard me.'” He went on to speak of His faith that God always hears Him, and how He pointed it out for the sake of those around Him. This speaks of how our thanksgiving is a testament to those around us, which we will look at in the next post.

Even in the hours preceding His death, we see that Jesus gave thanks before breaking the bread and drinking the wine with His disciples one last time (Matthew 26:27). How many of us, when faced with stressful situations and intense persecution, are able to thank the Lord for His blessings and for His work in our lives?

In Luke 10:21, Jesus spoke these words: “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.” Jesus knew that the Father has an overriding plan for humanity that sometimes goes against what we see as logical. Instead of getting frustrated that the Jewish leaders rejected His teaching, Christ praised His Father for working as He saw fit. What a hard outlook for us to maintain when things are not happening the way we prefer! Each of us must ask ourselves, “Am I thankful to God because He's working in ways that I like, or am I thankful because He's working according to His omniscient master plan?”

An attitude of thankfulness that survives the attacks of the devil is not something that comes easily. The more you are attached to the things of the world, the less likely you are to survive the tough times with a positive, God-centred outlook. The only sure way to have a faith like this is to gain an awareness of this earth and the things in it are temporary, but your soul is eternal.  With this in mind, take to heart God's promise in Romans 8:28!

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

If you truly love God and have found salvation through faith in His Son, then rest assured: He will work all things out for good to your benefit! The verse doesn't say that all things are good; it says that all things will work out for good in the long run. Have faith, and have patience. God has it under control. For this, we can be constantly thankful.
To wrap up, we will look tomorrow at the culmination of Thanksgiving.  Until then,
Your brother in the faith,
-Jeremy