Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. – Philippians 4:6
Crisis often brings a new closeness to God. When fighting for survival, even hard core do-it-yourselfers turn to the One who can do anything. If you’re like me, this closeness often takes the form of prayer requests, asking Him to intervene. Don’t get me wrong, Jesus delighted in bold requests for miraculous intervention. He can identify. We want harsh circumstances removed quickly. In the Garden of Gethsemane, even He asked for a Plan B, that if possible, the salvation of mankind could come by less painful means.
Yet God asks when we petition Him that we also give thanks. Sometimes the last thing we feel like doing is thanking God. Keep in mind the Lord anticipated these moments. In Psalm 50:23 He says, “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me” (Psalm 50:23). As usual, God never asks or commands us to do anything that is not for our greatest good, and He always gives us grace to enable us to comply. So here are three encouraging reasons to mix thanks with our requests:
1) Thanksgiving transforms our outlook and mood.
When we count our blessings accurately, we move beyond the old saying of seeing the cup half or half empty, we’ll have “eyes to see” that we have MANY full cups! We’ll acknowledge and deeply appreciate the huge list of prayers He’s already answered. We have food & clothing; love from people; and modern luxuries filling our homes. Any one of these luxuries, like a phone, make us the envy of past generations. These are all His gifts and not to be taken for granted.
2) Thanksgiving builds contentment into our character.
Character is what separates an unhappy, spoiled child from a happy, well-adjusted child. One child frets over what he does not have. The other enjoys what he does have. Contentment frees up adult children as well. I admit many times during my battle with Stage IV metastatic melanoma, I was neither thankful nor content. But Christ gave me strength to get back on track, no matter what was happening. Paul said in Philippians 4:11 & 13, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Contentment is an incredible gift!
3) Thanksgiving keeps us alert to unseen blessings.
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2). While we ask for earthly blessings, an attitude of thanksgiving keeps us alert to the many ways the Lord has spiritually provided. We have an amazing bundle of riches from God that come to us free in Christ Jesus. These include love; joy; peace; forgiveness and eternal salvation. The promise of the free gift of eternal salvation is enough motivation to be forever thankful, even if God never gives us another thing in this life! Being attuned to spiritual realities lifts us above our temporary earthly afflictions.
Lord, adjust our focus so we want to give thanks in crisis and out of crisis. Happy Thanksgiving!
