1 THESSALONIANS 5:15–18
“See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
At the beginning of creation, when GOD started to bring everything into existence through His Word, HE made everything in 5 days the essentials to His masterpiece, the Man that HE formed by His Own Hands according to His Own Image and Likeness. GOD assured that what this Man’s need in his existence will be there for him before HE made him, and should be happy and grateful. HE made it that this Man has no problem at all. But throughout Genesis, there’s not written anything about him thanking GOD for all of what HE had done for him, instead, this man in the Garden of Eden was lonely, thus HE favored him as HE knew he is not good to be alone in his “no problem” situation. HE then made a woman for him, and at last, he said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.” (Gen 2:23) Then the next story was the disobedience of the man being corrupted by the woman whom GOD sent him as he needed more than what GOD had initially provided for him…and then followed by the never-ending troubles in their lives. And in their troubles, they find virtues and the essentials not seen by their naked eyes. (Psalm 138:7)..
Being not contented, unhappy, not gratified, downhearted, for any kind of situation, will bring us to a miserable life. The reality is, more often than not, we forget to thank GOD in our comfort, but complain easily when we are removed from our comfort zones. We also forget that whatever our situations were, there are more people who have worse situations than us.
But how we can be thankful if we are in the worst situation? It causes us to remember GOD, to turn back and depend on Him. Not only that, it will be the start to know Him more deeply, who really is this GOD, and finally, we will enter into having a relationship with Him. The truth is, the worst situation will bring us to know His divine power, His great mercy, His super-bounding grace, and His great Love for us. We will learn was is Eternal.
And this is Eternal, if we could learn from a bad situation that we have in this world, GOD according to His divine power, had given to us all things that pertain to what matter most; the eternal life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us from that bad circumstance into glory and virtue that GOD will instill in us (2 Pet. 1:3). In that bad situation, His great mercy will only be displayed perfectly when we are weak (2 Cor.12:9). In that bad situation, we will know that even we had sinned many times when we are lost, God’s grace abounded all the more (Rom. 5:20). In that bad situation, while we are weak and sinning, GOD never abandoned us and still love us (Romans 5:8)
In every situation, GOD is there. That is the reason why we should be thankful. He is more than our situation, and He would like to show His role in that situation if we entrust everything to Him. Everything is for our sake, good and bad is for our sake, and for that, we must be thankful.
As St Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:15-18, “Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.”
St Paul continued at Romans 8:18 "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." The glory to become His children emerges from the scourging of the LORD. Hebrews 12:5-6 says, “And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children—
“My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.”
Let us not forget that GOD’s ways are not like ours. GOD knows our situations and He would never forsake us if He allowed us in that situation. As HE said in Isaiah 55:8-9,
“ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Let’s then trust and thank Him in every situation beyond our understanding. Proverbs 3:5-6 leave us GOD’s instructions:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
AMEN
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