If God were to never answer another prayer you prayed,
could you still pray? Would you still thank Him? In other words, have the
benefits you have already received from His hand established Him as unendingly worthy
of your gratitude?
When we browse the scriptures on this topic of thankfulness,
we often see specific reasons for gratitude provided: deliverance, provision,
mighty deeds in the past, covenant faithfulness and the like. But, the
scriptures are also replete with calls to thanksgiving for which no precise
cause for gratitude is mentioned.
Let the
peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were
called to peace. And be thankful.
– Colossians 3:15
Devote
yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. – Colossians 4:2
But
among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of
impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor
should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of
place, but rather thanksgiving. –
Ephesians 5:3, 4
Be
joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for
this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
– 1 Thessalonians 5:16
Paul seemed confident that believers should require neither
coaching nor prompting in this matter. When we are still before God, truly
attentive to His presence, thanksgiving ought to be instinctive, a natural
posture for each of us.
Twenty centuries ago, Paul described the attitudes that
typify the people who would populate the last days:
But
mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers
of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their
parents, ungrateful … - 2 Timothy
3:1, 2
At best, the natural man thinks about giving thanks once
each year. The Thanksgiving holiday has a way of thrusting a “gratitude
attitude” into one’s face. He may acknowledge a few good things in his life
(without acknowledging their source.) But then, he digs into the feast. Of
course, we also live in this world. If we are careless, we can be heavily
influenced by our society's attitudes of discontent, self-centeredness, grabby-ness
and ingratitude. This is why the call to self-denial is a daily one. It takes a
special resolve for a Christian to peel away the jaded filter through which
others in this world view life so that he might always be captivated by the
goodness and generosity of his God.
In her now classic book, The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom tells about an incident that
taught her the principle of giving thanks in all things. It was during World
War II. Corrie and her sister, Betsie, had been harboring Jewish people in
their home, so they were arrested and finally imprisoned at Ravensbruck Camp. Their barracks were extremely crowded and infested with fleas. One morning they read in
their tattered Bible from 1 Thessalonians
5 the reminder to give thanks in all things.
"Betsie said to Corrie, 'Corrie, we've
got to give thanks for these barracks and even for these fleas.'
Corrie replied, 'No way am I going to thank
God for fleas.'
But Betsie was persuasive, and they did thank
God even for the fleas. During the months that followed, they found that their
barrack was left relatively free, and they could do Bible study, talk openly,
and even pray there. It was their only place of refuge. Several months later
they learned that the guards never entered their barrack because of those
blasted fleas."
Give
thanks to the Lord, for He is good ... - Psalm 107:1
