Being Thankful in Difficult Times
Written by Jimmie Burroughs
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Maybe you are thinking that it is impossible to be thankful this year in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic has caused so many problems, sickness, loss of life, loss of employment, major restrictions to how we ordinarily live, fear of what happens next, etc. Understandably, this is a novel year. We have never seen anything in our lifetime quite like it, but that does not mean there is nothing to be thankful for.
We need to understand the context in which the Apostle Paul wrote this. First of all, Paul was in prison at the time, and secondly, he was writing to people who were sorely oppressed by the Roman government, and many had already lost their lives because of their faith in Christ.
Life itself can be a worrisome thing when you consider how vulnerable we are to so many dangers. When you add to that the danger of contacting a virous that could make you very sick and even take your life, it is an additional burden.
Being Christians did not immunize the Early Church to trouble, neither does it today. Just like us today, they had not only normal worries over ordinary human situations, they also had to fear for their lives. They were also open, as are we, to giving in to the temptation to taking circumstances into their own hands, leaving God out.
Several years ago, the Smithsonian Institute magazine stated in an article, “We are in the golden age of anxiety.” How much truer is that today. However, our concerns are usually overblown. Here are some interesting statistics given by Dr. Walter Calvert; talking about the results of the sin of worry, he writes: “Forty percent of what you worry about will not happen. Thirty percent of your worries concern the past. Twelve percent of your worries are health issues. Ten percent of your worries are insignificant and petty issues with only eight percent of your worries having actual legitimate concerns.” I might add that of the 8% of worries, many can be resolved with some effort.
We do need help to sort out our concerns. I believe there are three powerful truths in the message Paul wrote from prison to the Philippians that can help us today as we face so much uncertainty and also give us reason to be thankful if we apply them to our lives.
- Do not be anxious, or worry, about anything.
- Take advantage of the Christian option to pray.
- Be thankful in all things.
Let us consider these one at a time; The first powerful truth we see in the text is, “Do not be anxious, or worry, about anything.” Is it possible, considering the condition of the world today, not to worry?
Did Jesus understand anxiety and worry? After all, He had much more than you and I to think about. He was rejected, repressed, and ultimately falsely accused and crucified. Nevertheless, He taught in Matthew 6:25-34, “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
Jesus set the priority on seeking God and trusting Him for all things and in all things, which is the first step in overcoming the things of the world and conquering fear and anxiety.
Another Bible reference for seeking God’s help is Psalm 46, which could have been written by David; it fits him: “God is our refuge and strength and ever-present help in trouble.” David certainly knew trouble. His life as King of Israel was plagued with it, as we see in 1 & 2 Samuel. Yet he was counted as a man after God’s own heart.
The Apostle Peter is another of God’s saints who experienced more than his share of trouble, and according to tradition he was crucified upside down because of his faith in Christ. He said in 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him [Christ Jesus] because He cares for you.”
Anxiety and worry are our enemies, a tool of Satan to draw us away from trusting God. According to the Dictionary of Biblical Languages, “Anxiety means to be troubled in thought and in heart so as to cripple you.” The Old English root word for “worry” means to “strangle.” According to the Bible Exposition Commentary, “If we have fallen into this type of worry, we find ourselves not thinking clearly, no longer being productive, and looking for other avenues through which to work. Hours are wasted daily because of this sin and vision is not prayed through to completion.” Worry robs us of joy and focuses on circumstances, people, and things and causes depression, discouragement, and it results in a feeling of defeat and hopeless; furthermore, is produces backsliding, physical sickness, and a lack of trust in God.
There is no switch that we can flip to turn off worry; neither is it a matter of telling ourselves to “Stop worrying.” Resolution requires the inside work of God, transforming our attitude and directing our trust to Him. According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, “The child of God who is thankful in tough times is literally living in the light of the Lord’s presence.” Joy is of the Lord, given to believers, those who have placed their trust in Him. The text says, “Be not anxious about anything.” According to the Greek-English Lexicon, the Greek word for “Anything” is “medeis,” meaning not to be anxious for one thing, one person, or any circumstance or situation.
C. Kingsley wrote, “Be not anxious about tomorrow. Do today’s duty, fight today’s temptations and do not weaken and distract yourself by looking forward to things which you cannot see and could not understand if you saw them. Enough for you that the God you serve is just and merciful…”
We have a choice; we can waste our time and our thoughts over the concerns of this present life, or we can trust the Lord in everything and embrace the peace of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. As Peter said, “Cast all your anxiety on Him [Christ Jesus] because He cares for you.”
The second powerful truth we see in the text is, take advantage of the Christian option to pray, “…but in everything, by prayer and petition… present your requests to God,” Philippians 4:6.
The three words that stand out in this verse are, “prayer,” “petition” and “request.” The Greek term for prayer is “proseuche” meaning a house devoted to prayer. The word devoted is a key to successful prayer. The Greek term for petition is “deesis” meaning a specific petition coming from the heart. Heartfelt prayer is another key to successful prayer. The Greek term for request is “aitema” meaning our request are to be in detail. Giving God all the details of our concerns help in releasing our anxiety, but does not mean that God needs the details. According to Matthew 6:8, God already knows our needs before we pray. A.B. Simpson wrote, “Our God has boundless resources. The only limit is us. Our asking, our thinking, our praying is too small. Our expectations are too limited.”
One truth not everyone has come to know is, worry is a sin against God who is control of everything in the life of a believer. He sees us and knows when things are good and he knows when things are bad. Jesus gives the way to bear all the burdens of life, He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” Matthew 11:28-30.
In the time of Jesus, farmers used a wooden yoke to harness two oxen together to pull a load. Without the yoke it would have been difficult to pull any load. So, a yoke was not designed to create additional burdens but to lighten burdens. In those days in order to train a young ox to plow, they were yoked with a larger, more mature and stronger ox who knew the commands. All that was necessary for the younger ox was to follow along while the mature ox carried the larger part of the load. When we are joined to Jesus through prayer and trust in Him, our burdens in life are lightened and we find rest that can be found nowhere else.
In 1-Thessalonians-5-16-18 we read, “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Prayer is an open line to the greatest power in the universe waiting to hear from you concerning all your troubles and cares. We have every reason to rejoice, we who know him, because He has forgiven our sins and has made us a citizen of His eternal heaven. We belong to Him and are under His care and protection.
It may seem ironic, but being thankful in difficult times is very possible. We read in Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk listed about everything that could go wrong in his day, and yet he was determined to exult and rejoice in the Lord. I believe that you and I should make that same commitment.
The third powerful truth we see in the text is, “Be thankful in all things.”
The Bible instructs us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The Apostle Paul speaks of failure to do the above and its consequences; he says in Romans 1:21, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” According to that verse, failure to be thankful to God is a sin and negates our faith in God.
Sometimes we forget our standing in the Lord: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren,” Romans 8:28-29. This verse does not mean that everything that happens to us is good, but that everything that happens to us works out in the end to conform us to the image of God’s Son, Jesus. God’s primary purpose, determined in eternity past, is to make us into the person He created us to be, in the image of Christ. Even the trials we face in life work toward that end.
It is certain that we will face persecution in this life: Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world,” John 16:33. Furthermore, Jesus said, “Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also,”John 15:20.
Satan is our enemy who wants to upset God’s plans for our life by tempting us and drawing us away from God through discouragement. The Scripture warns us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” 1 Peter 5:8. Nevertheless, we have power over Satan because of God’s indwelling Holy Spirit: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” James 4:7.
Jesus is our refuge: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 18For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to assist them that are tempted,” Hebrews 2:14-18.
By Following the truths of God’s Word, particularly Philippians 4:6-7, we can find peace and also find the help we need being thankful in difficult times: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Would to God that this could be our mantra in life.
Happy Thanksgiving