7-27-2021

 Good Morning All!

       1 Thessalonians 5: 17-18; “pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

    Give thanks in all circumstances; that might seem like a very challenging task!  How do we give thanks at the death of a child or the suffering of an older person?  How do we give thanks when the clouds hold promise but do not deliver the much-needed rain?  How do we give thanks when our knees no longer can do the steps in our house?  Give thanks in all circumstances; it seems that we chronically complain about chronic problems but give thanks, that is a struggle.

    So, how does this work?  Can God really want me to be thankful for the pain I experience or the suffering I see around me?  I know the Facebook post about “when you go to bed stiff and sore be thankful for a job and a bed” and there is some truth in that but what about watching a loved one dying a slow painful death, how do we give thanks for that?

    First and foremost, we don’t give thanks that our loved one is suffering.  We need to see and then separate our situation from our relationship, especially our relationship with God.  We do not necessarily give thanks for the situation we are in, but we should always give thanks for the relationship we are in.  No matter the situation, our loving heavenly Father will not abandon us.  This is what Isaiah meant when he wrote in chapter 43, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; and when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”  The situation we are in is the result of living in a broken and chaotic creation, but God, through Jesus, has healed our relationship with Him so that we might have comfort and hope.

    Through Jesus, God has made us His children.  We do not have to see God as an avenging judge but rather we can see Him as a loving and comforting Father who desires to hold us, sustain us, and keep us safe and for this, we give thanks!  We give thanks that we have a loving Father to comfort us and to encourage us to look up and forward, through prayer, to a better day.

    So, we give thanks, sometimes because of the happy times, like weddings and births and enjoyable times with family and friends; but we always can give thanks that God has redeemed us through Jesus, giving us the certainty of eternal life, the promise of His grace and mercy, and the hope of comfort knowing that while situations in life constantly change, God’s love for us never does.  So, we can give thanks in all circumstances because our loving God will see us through and bring us to eternal joy with Him and in Him.

Father of all mercies, keep us in Your loving arms.  Help us by Your Spirit to look to You and to see that with You we have hope and with You we have comfort and peace.  Be with those who are especially challenged by the days’ events.  Lead them to look to You knowing that in You there is forgiveness, salvation, and life eternal.  Defend us from the devil’s attacks, calm our hearts and uplift our spirit.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret