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THANKFULNESS

1 Thessalonians 5:18 states, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Again, Paul writes in Ephesians 5:20, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is undoubtedly much easier to offer up a word of praise to God, when the sun is shining and you are on the mountain top, but what about the times of pain? The times when it seems that instead of being on top of the world, the world is crushing you. It appears rather pointless to thank God ineverything when everything seems to be all wrong.

We must realize that thankfulness, in the midst of suffering, is vital for every Christian. Why? Because, it shifts our focus back to the Sovereign ruler and it settles our hearts in His love. You see, it is recorded in the gospel of Mark that the disciples were on a ship crossing the Sea of Galilee. A storm would come up and begin to beat down the ship until it appeared that the ship would break apart. Where was Jesus during all this turmoil?  Well, he was in asleep near the rudder. The disciples were frantic! Almost immediately fear and anxiety filled their thoughts: How could He sleep through this? We’re all going to die! This was His idea, why would He send us straight into this storm? We don’t have a prayer! They woke up Jesus, shouting in fear, and perhaps even a little anger, “Master, don’t you care that we are going to die?” Jesus stood up and immediately calmed the storm. He then had two questions for all of them, “Why were you so afraid? Do you not have faith?” (Mark 4:35-41)

Thankfulness in the midst of the storm reveals our faith in the love and power of Jesus Christ. Sure, we can question, “God don’t you care?” We can shout, “You don’t realize what I am going through!” Yet, praising through the pain magnifies the fact in our hearts and to others that Jesus is Who He says He is. Mark mentions that there were other little ships in the Sea at the time of the storm. Why is this important? It serves as a reminder that all of us have been through hardships. Also, all of those people in the other boats caught a glimpse of the glorious power of Jesus. Perhaps the storm wasn’t meant for the disciples.

What is certain is that our thankfulness magnifies God’s faithfulness and if one soul is touched by my rejoicing through suffering, then it is worth it. Don’t ever forget that God cares for you, because He died for you! He can give hope in the midst of heartache, because He rose again in victory! Be thankful. 
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