Give thanks? For what?

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

How can Paul write words like these? How can we be joyful all the time and give thanks in every situation?

Not since the Great Depression has America’s economy been this bad. People are losing their jobs, their homes, their investments. Credit for major purchases is hard to come by. The cost of necessities like food, energy, and medical care continues to rise. Many people have to delay retirement or cancel it altogether. Be joyful and give thanks? For what?

And what about disasters? People were still recovering from Katrina when Hurricane Ike smashed into the United States. This year a terrible earthquake struck western China. There have been raging firestorms in California. Environmentalists warn that the earth is growing warmer, and that vast areas of the world will experience dramatic climate change. Be joyful and give thanks? For what?

We are fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a lot of American men and women have come home crippled or in body bags. Terrorists carry out suicide bombings and are proud to take responsibility. People in Africa are victims of ethnic cleansing. Be joyful and give thanks? For what?

And what about you? How many of you reading this have been backstabbed by a friend you thought you could trust? How many of you have been taken advantage of, lied to, or cheated on? How many of you have been treated disrespectfully by your children? How many of you have dealt with cancer, diabetes, or heart disease? How many of you have lost someone special to the grave? Be joyful and give thanks? For what?

Paul wrote, be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. How could Paul be so unrealistic? Didn’t he understand how tough life can be? Actually, he did—Paul wrote these words knowing full well what it means to suffer. Listen as Paul details the hard times in his life, recorded in 2nd Corinthians:

Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers, but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty, and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?

Paul understood better than most how miserable life can be. He spent much of his final years in prison, locked away because the people in charge did not want him talking about Jesus. Yet even while confined in jail, Paul remained positive. I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances, he wrote. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:11-13).

Paul had seen the best and the worst that life has to offer. Yet he did not feel deprived or shortchanged during times of hardship. Paul was able to be content—more than that, he held joy in his heart, joy that enabled him to give thanks to God. How could he possibly feel that way?

All the things that make us sour and ungrateful are the temporary things of this world. Don’t have enough money? What value will money have after you’re dead? Hurt by people who treat you shabbily? In heaven all sin is gone; once you are there, no one can ever hurt you again. Suffering from harsh weather or poor health? When Jesus raises you from the dead to live on the new earth, your body will be perfect and the world will be free of tragedy.

I’m not downplaying the amount of hurt we can experience here on earth. Everyone suffers, some most horribly. But this earthly life is only a small part of our total existence. The Lord created us to live forever; our time on earth, while significant, is really no longer than the nine months you spent in the womb waiting to be born. Pregnancy ends in painful labor; our life on earth ends in painful death. But after nine months in the womb, a child is born to live a lifetime; after our earthly lives end in death, Jesus raises us to live with Him forever. Our time of suffering is only a small part of what is yet to come.

It’s easier to endure suffering if you know that it will come to an end. People sick with the flu take comfort from knowing that in a few days, the worst will be past. Cancer patients wait patiently for tests to show that they are in remission. Having a plan for victory helps military leaders cope with the reversals of war. Investors look at their long-range financial plans to find courage when stock prices are low. We find comfort in knowing that "this too shall pass."

And yet so much of the time we worry and make plans as if God is not part of the equation. God made the universe just by speaking. God parted the Red Sea so that His people could cross the seabed on dry ground, while the water stood piled up in walls to the left and right of them. God made the sun stand still for 24 hours so the Israelite army could win a tough battle. God caused barren women to get pregnant, paralyzed people to walk, blind people to see, and people with incurable diseases to become completely healthy. God lays it before us: Is anything too hard for the LORD? (Genesis 18:14) So why do we behave as if God cannot fix things?

Maybe we don’t think that God notices our problems or cares enough to get personally involved. But the Bible assures us otherwise. King Hezekiah asked God to save him from an untimely death, and the Lord extended his life by 15 years. When Ruth was widowed, God made sure that she met a loving man who would marry her and take care of her. The Son of God turned water into wine at a wedding, so the family would not be publicly embarrassed at failing to plan adequately for the celebration. After a day of teaching in the wilderness, Jesus made sure that the crowd of over 5,000 was well fed, despite only having five loaves of bread and two fish on hand. And God gave His own Son to the cross so that we could be forgiven all of our mistakes and shortcomings. God does care about us, and He gets personally involved in our lives.

Because of this, we can live with joy in our hearts. Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness is about feeling pleasure and excitement. Joy is about confidence and peace. We are confident in God’s love for us. His love is so great that He sent His Son to die for us. Jesus said, Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). The bloodstained cross on God’s holy mountain is proof positive of His love for us. The blood of Christ removes the stain of sin from us, and fills our dying bodies with life that can never be extinguished. As a result, we can live with peace in our hearts, the peace of knowing that we are protected and cared for, loved and supported. Knowing that God is on our side because of Jesus, we can live each and every moment with joy.

Because of this joy, we can give thanks in all circumstances, just as Paul did. Paul had a chronic health problem that troubled him. In 2 Corinthians chapter 12 he says, Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Paul found that hardship can be a blessing. When he was faced with a problem beyond human ability to solve, the only one he could turn to was God. The problems of life drove Paul closer to the Savior. When he learned to rely on God, Paul found peace of mind because he could stop worrying. As a result, Paul saw value in everything that made him turn to God for help; such troubles helped Paul grow in his faith. This is why Paul could say, give thanks in all circumstances. After all, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28).

You might not feel all that happy today. You might be suffering in some way or have an unmet need. But if you trust in God’s love and mercy, you can have joy in your heart. If you trust the Lord, you can be grateful even during times of hardship, because when you are weak, God’s strength can be seen clearly. King Solomon wrote, trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). His father King David wrote, The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you (Psalm 9:9-10). These are words to live by and be thankful for.