Paul isn’t telling us to have a Pollyanna outlook on life. Contemporary culture may tell us to think happy thoughts and that’ll make everything okay, as though counting our blessings will make us forget the loved one that was ripped from our arms. Rather, Paul is reminding us of the bigger story. He is reminding us of Christ and all that we have through Him. Our trials and sufferings often make us think that God has abandoned us and that He no longer cares about us. But the gospel reminds us that God cares so much about our pain and suffering that He sent His only Son to suffer for us and defeat sin once and for all.
It’s the month of Thanksgiving. Walk into any store and you’ll see all things in varying shades of orange, brown, and red. Turkeys, gourds, and colorful leaves decorate every establishment. Our children will dress up as Pilgrims and Native Americans and act out the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth. When we gather around the table on fourth Thursday, we’ll share with loved ones the blessings we’ve received this year and give thanks to God for all He has done.
Thanks in All Things
Celebrating God’s goodness and the bounty of His provisions once a year is a wonderful tradition. The Psalms remind us over and over that it is good to give thanks to the Lord. But as believers, we know that giving thanks isn’t a yearly event. Rather, the Bible calls us to give thanks each day and not just for the blessings God has given, but as Paul wrote, “in all things.” “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).
Indeed, it is easy to offer praise and thanksgiving when the harvest is plenty but what about when there is no harvest? What about when we’ve lost our job, when we’ve lost a loved one, when our dreams have been shattered, when we’ve been rejected and abused, when sin grips us hard, and when we feel lost and all alone?
How do we give thanks in the midst of those things? How do we offer the hard thanks, the sacrifice of praise when everything in our life is sorrow-filled and broken?
The Gospel and Thanksgiving
Paul isn’t telling us to have a Pollyanna outlook on life. Contemporary culture may tell us to think happy thoughts and that’ll make everything okay, as though counting our blessings will make us forget the loved one that was ripped from our arms. Rather, Paul is reminding us of the bigger story. He is reminding us of Christ and all that we have through Him. Our trials and sufferings often make us think that God has abandoned us and that He no longer cares about us. But the gospel reminds us that God cares so much about our pain and suffering that He sent His only Son to suffer for us and defeat sin once and for all.
In fact, that fear we are facing? Christ conquered our greatest fear at the cross—eternal separation from God. That rejection we’ve endured? Christ was rejected by His dearest friends, was mocked, spit upon, and hung upon a tree. He became sin for us and was rejected in our place. That loss we grieve? Christ is the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). That job we lost? Christ left the palaces of heaven to live in this sin-stained world, where He had no home and no place to lay His head (Luke 9:58).
