Give thanks! (It’s God’s will)

In everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in everything? Are you serious, Lord? We make the mistake of thinking this verse means that “whatever” happens we are to be thankful. But there is no such thing as “whatever.” All the circumstances in our life are part of God’s plan. We are not necessarily thankful for the situations, rather we are thankful that God controls the situations. And He gives the strength to make it through anything. Think about it for a second: if we pray and ask for God’s will to be done in our life, then everything we experience is simply an answer to our prayers! We may struggle with things we have to face, but we don’t struggle with knowing that all things are put there by God for our good, to bring us into a closer relationship with Him. He promises that He is always working in our life. We are grateful not because we “are told” to respond that way, but because everything in our life is according to God’s will. His perfect love for us is there every moment and every situation. That is why we give thanks!