At this time of year, our attention turns towards being thankful and grateful for what God has given us and blessed us with. The Bible mentions the term “gratitude” 157 times and the term “thanks” or “thanksgiving” another 72 times so that must make it important. We need to not just adopt one time of year to be grateful, but it should be a 12-month celebration of what God has done for us. What has God done for you this year? Have you thanked him for that?
While there are lots of references, we focus on just one today 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
For me, this verse has taken on a new meaning. Living in the Carolinas and seeing so many people in my general area losing so much to Hurricane Helene. As I saw pictures of the devastation, I could not help but wonder, where can you find thanks in that? Where can you find hope let alone gratitude in the mist of so many disasters in the world today?
I had the chance to see this firsthand being on the ground in the mountains for just a day and being with people who had lost everything, loved ones, their possessions, their homes. But I also got to see something else that day, and that is the love of community as people delivered much needed food, supplies and other essentials. It restored my faith in humanity and continues to seeing the response to this disaster, and the love and gratitude towards those who have lost so much. Those who should be providing assistance that day were nowhere to be found, but help came and continues to come.
These people in the Carolinas and other areas devastated by hurricanes and other disasters show gratitude for the outpouring of love shown to them and a resilient faith giving thanks in all circumstance. That one day encouraged me to be grateful for what God has blessed me with, but hasn’t he blessed us all?
God is at work in the midst of this storm, and he will be working in the midst of your storm, but we must be thankful and grateful despite or circumstance. What seas in your life need parted today? Have you asked God for that? The message to me this holiday season is to give thanks in whatever circumstance I find myself in, be it good, bad, or ugly. God did not abandon people in the path of Helene or Milton, he wants to use this bad for his good. In all things, may God be glorified and appreciated in our lives. There is the message of hope this Thanksgiving season.