Giving Thanks in All Things
Giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. -- Ephesians 5:20 (HCSB)
As my husband and I watched and waited once again for our daughter to come home, fear and frustration filled us. She was an hour late—again. It seemed as if we had been fighting a battle with our strong-willed daughter ever since birth. "Lord, we didn’t raise her this way!" I prayed as I paced in front of the window. "Why is she choosing this path? Please draw her to You."
The next day, I shared with a close friend how I seemed to be praying the same prayer over and over. Was the Lord hearing me? I could tell she was hesitant about what she was going to say. "Have you thanked the Lord for what He is doing in your life and hers?"
"Thank Him?" I was shocked. It was all I could do to not pull my hands away.
She continued, still holding my hands. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to 'Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.' Ephesians 5:20 tells us to give thanks always for everything. It doesn’t say only when things are good. The Bible tells us to be thankful for all things, at all times." Then she prayed for me as tears streamed down my cheeks.
At first, it was difficult to be thankful. It felt like things got worse. When our daughter turned 18, she moved in with her boyfriend, four hours away. Again, I cried out to the Lord, "Why?" However, in the next breath, I thanked Him for what He was doing in her life, even if I couldn’t see it. I had to trust that God would work all things together for good according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). I also thanked Him for what He was doing in my life through the struggles. I was learning to fervently pray and to trust God even when I didn’t understand. I was also learning to wait expectantly on the Lord with a thankful heart.
Slowly, I watched as the Lord wrote each line of her story. A few years after she moved out, she and her boyfriend broke up, and not long after, she accepted Christ as her Savior. A few years later, she started sharing Christ’s love with others. The Lord showed me that she was able to connect with different groups of people because of the path she had chosen as a teenager. Did God choose that path for her? No, she has free will. However, He was using her past to reach into the future of those she encounters.
Giving thanks even in the midst of tears can be difficult. However, when the Son shines through our teardrops, there is a rainbow of promises on the other side. We can thank Him for Romans 8:28, knowing that He is working. We can also be thankful for what the trials are teaching us and others as we expectantly wait on the Lord.
Questions for Reflections:
1. In what way can you thank God in the difficult situation you are currently experiencing?
2. Is God teaching you patience or to pray more regularly?
3. Are you trusting God’s unseen work in your life and others?
