Kate said Grateful.
The bible is full of verses from the old testament to the new, exhorting us to give God praises and thanks. In fact, Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians goes as far as saying that it is God’s will for us,
‘Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you’. 1 Thessalonians 1:8 (ESV)
That’s all well and good but did Paul know about 2020? I daresay, if ever there was a man well acquainted with trials and tribulation, that man was Paul. However, in a year where the whole world has been shaken upside down, we may wonder what there is to be grateful for.
However, the bible is littered with stories of ordinary people like you and I who chose to demonstrate an attitude of gratitude despite facing great odds. We all know about David and his many, many psalms of lament and thanksgiving. He was a man who lived a difficult life on the run for many years and yet praised God in every circumstance.
Today, I’ve chosen three other examples below to encourage us and inspire an attitude of gratitude.
Mary in Luke 1 was visited by an angel and told she was going to become pregnant. Out of wedlock. She must have been fearful and worried; all normal human emotions under the circumstances. Surely Joseph would think she had been unfaithful? And then she’d have to raise the child alone. What would her parents think? What about her family or the neighbours? How would she explain what had happened to her without sounding like a crazy person? I confess, these are all the anxious thoughts that would have spun through my mind. However, Mary chose to view her circumstances as a blessing even though they would have appeared otherwise. In a song of praise known as the Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55 – Mary gave thanks.
Jesus had a regular habit of giving thanks. Even though he was also God and presumably could have gotten away with not being quite so thankful but perhaps he did was as an example to us. What struck me the most about Jesus’ thankful attitude was that often He gave thanks under incredibly tense situations. For example when he faced pressure to feed thousands with very little food (Mark 6:41, Matthew 14:19), pressure to raise Lazarus (John 11:41) and even the night He was to be killed! (Matthew 26:26) How many of us would have seen these situations as things to be thankful for?
Prophet Habakkuk in Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NKJV) paints such a vivid picture of desolation and complete loss and yet he ends his hymn on a high note –
‘Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls — Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation’
This wasn’t just positive thinking; he wasn’t in denial about the dire circumstances but rather he chose to rejoice in the Lord. I love how the word ‘joy’ is used in verse 18 – as a verb. This is an acknowledgement and affirmation that his strength and faith are not in possessions, or wealth and not even food – something we would all consider a basic necessity but rather his strength and joy lies in the unchanging God.
If you’re struggling to give God praise, if you can’t seem to find anything to be grateful for because circumstances seem so bleak, I hope reading about these three individuals will encourage you as they did me. Their stories reminded me to adopt an attitude of gratitude even when lines have not fallen for me in pleasant places.
Ultimately, that is what it boils down to – we should be grateful to God not just because of what we get from Him but simply because of who He is. If our gratitude is hinged only on things, then our praises will dry up when He doesn’t give us the things we want.
‘Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100:4-5).
There’s a proverb in my mother tongue (Yoruba) which when translated into English means, ‘If you know how to think, you’ll know how to thank’.
I leave you with the words below from Charles Spurgeon (Holy Song from Happy Saints) to spur your thinking and hopefully igniting your thanksgiving in any circumstance:
“Do we sing as much as the birds do? Yet what have birds to sing about, compared with us? Do we sing as much as the angels do? Yet they were never redeemed by the blood of Christ. Birds of the air, shall you excel me? Angels, shall you exceed me? You have done so, but I intend to emulate you, and day by day, and night by night, pour forth my soul in sacred song.”
Gratitude to #God is not dependent on us but rather on who He is. A God who loves us fiercely. Share on XThis post was originally written for Five Minute Friday but may also be linked up at these places.
(Image credit: Gabrielle Henderson from Unsplash)
Let us from tradition drink,
and not be Christian manque;
it’s said if we know how to think.,
then we know how to thank.
‘Tis gratitude that is the mark
of the Christ-loving soul,
the moving candle in the dark
that can the world make whole,
but in this we must marshal thought;
it comes not in lonely splendour,
but by discipline is bought
to then shape and render
the loyal bow of obedience
whose thanks is not expedience.
Wemi, I have thought often of those verses from Habakkuk. May we always choose gratitude and give thanks to our God, for He is good and all He does is good. Blessings!
PS – I hit enter too quickly 🙂 I love your mother’s proverb!
Thank you Joanne! 😊 That proverb is very common in my country (Nigeria) – it was something the elders said to kids to teach them to always say ‘thanks’. I guess it worked cos it has stuck with me all these years!
I’m feeling a little like Habakkuk as I sit here looking at the fig tree in my back yard that barely produced any figs this year. Many months ago our gardener trimmed our fruit trees even though I had asked him not to. So while my fig tree looks barren compared to previous years, the few that have grown are being enjoyed by the birds. However, I’ve noticed that the insides are more vibrant than in previous years, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s the secret to the whole thing. Maybe sometimes we need less to experience better.
Amie, FMF #10
I think it’s so cool that you have a fig tree in your back yard 🙂 It’s always been one of those biblical things to me. Your comment about their vibrancy this year makes sense – we humans are also less vibrant when we are being spread thin.
Thank you for the reminder for me that the verse from Thessalonians was! Your post is such an important reminder in this challenging season to continue in gratitude. And the Spurgeon quote—wow!
That was also my reaction on coming across Spurgeon’s quote – wow! It puts things in perspective. Thank you for reading!
Super post, Wemi, and I love the Proverb, seemingly simple, but profound upon second look. Good reminders that gratitude does not depend on our circumstances, but on God who sifts everything through His good and perfect hands to us. Thank you, for this encouragement!
I like the use of that word ‘sift’ – indeed He is sifting everything through before it gets to us! Thanks Donna
This is a great post, Wemi! I love the examples you’ve given of people who chose gratitude. I was thinking about Mary’s story the other day and how amazing it is that in the midst of such uncertainty and confusion her response was praise.
Thanks Lesley. It really is amazing – I pray that becomes my default response to uncertainty also.
I love those verses in Habakkuk! Even when times are hard when we have the Lord He is enough.
oh Wemi, this is so good! Such gorgeous examples of gratitude and truth! Your words bless me so much!
Wemi, I love the people you chose to show how gratitude, joy, and praise can be shown in any circumstance we may come upon. Great message. Blessings.
Great post, and that quote from Spurgeon.
Thanks for sharing.
(Visiting from #33)
Such a hope filled post, Wemi. Thank you.
Thanks for reading Lauren x
I’m learning that the more I know God, the more my gratitude for who He is comes out.
“‘If you know how to think, you’ll know how to thank’. Love it. I read an amazing book called “Braiding Sweetgrass” which weaves indigenous wisdom and botanical knowledge in understanding the glorious divine design of nature. In Native American culture, beginning the day with thanks is a daily liturgy.
“Ultimately, that is what it boils down to – we should be grateful to God not just because of what we get from Him but simply because of who He is. If our gratitude is hinged only on things, then our praises will dry up when He doesn’t give us the things we want.” This is the foundation on which we can stand. Thanks for these truths, Wemi!
Great post! Very timely! Thank you Wemi.
Thanks for reading Emi! Glad it blessed you x