Giving thanks always for all things unto God. – Eph. 5:20

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. – Rom. 8:28

Notwithstanding all that I have suffered, notwithstanding all the pain and weariness and anxiety and sorrow that necessarily enter into life, and the inward errings that are worse than all, I would end my record with a devout thanksgiving to the great Author of my being. For more and more am I unwilling to make my gratitude to Him what is commonly called “a thanksgiving for mercies,”–for any benefits or blessings that are peculiar to myself, or my friends, or indeed to any man. Instead of this, I would have it to be gratitude for all that belongs to my life and being,–for joy and sorrow, for health and sickness, for success and disappointment, for virtue and for temptation, for life and death; because I believe that all is meant for good.

ORVILLE DEWEY.

Being Thankful When Things Go Bad

We need to be thankful even when things go bad in our life. Thankfulness will help you look at the good rather than the bad.  Everyone has something they can be thankful for even in the worst of times.  You just may have to look a little harder.  And even the bad things that happen to a Christian can produce growth in our life.  The bad things are not good and are often the effects of sin, however, God can use those things to work the dross and impurities out of our life.  Bad things often produce shame, reproach, despair, etc.  These help to humble us, silence us, and make us look inward.  This helps us to take account of our lives and get right about sin.  In God’s eyes that is a good thing.

Being Thankful for Salvation

Dewey says, we need to be thankful.  We need to first be thankful that the Lord came looking for us and moved on our hearts to convict us of sin and show us our need of the Saviour.  There is a very small percentage of the world that are truly saved.  You need to be ever so thankful God moved on you.  As you make a vow, when getting married, to stick with your mate in the good and the bad, so it is with God.  We are espoused to Christ.  The bad in both marriage and our relationship with God is what brings the most growth. We typically don’t grow as much in the good times. We are thankful for them, but we need stress and troubles to grow more. 

A Tree Gets Strong From the Wind Blowing

A tree gets strong when the winds of a storm try to blow it over.  We should be more thankful for the bad that grows us than the good that just brings us joy. Often God can only trust His choicest servants with extreme trials, too. Many have the Joel Olsteen “Prosperity Christianity” mentality that says you are only right with God when you have physical and monetary blessings from God.  I would argue that is the exact opposite of New Testament Christianity.  There was no one in the New Testament more blessed as a Christian than the apostle Paul and he probably went through more trials than Job, which lasted most of his life.  I don’t know too many Christians that will pray for more trials but that is what brings blessings from God.

Let the Lord Work in Your Life

So try to let the Lord bring trials in your life and be truly thankful for the mercies and blessings God has given you.  Maybe God will bless you with more.