Thankful in All Circumstances

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

A friend recently told me about how she journals to help with her anxiety. Her journal includes some writing about daily events, but mostly consists of lists of things she is thankful for. This is an excellent way to combat both anxiety and depression, and follow the command God gives us in the verses above: “Give thanks in all circumstances.” The Bible tells us to give thanks without listing qualifiers or caveats relating to our circumstances. [1] For this reason, the phrase “in all circumstances” can be confusing.

For example, I used to wonder how someone could give thanks for terrible and life-altering circumstances, like the unexpected death of a loved one or broken marriage vows. Mourning the loss of someone or something is appropriate and right. We shouldn’t gloss over the effects of sin in the world, or even worse try to balance out the effects of sin with the good we see. Sin should cause us to grieve every time, not overflow with thankfulness.

First Thessalonians 5:16-18, however, exhorts us to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. Understanding the meaning between these two small words makes a big difference in how we view thankfulness. We won’t always be thankful for our circumstances, but we will always have reasons to give thanks to God because of Jesus. The grief we feel about sin, whether our own sin or the sin of others, and the circumstances sin causes lead us to thank God for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and His promise to make the world new.

In all circumstances, even the trying, challenging, horrible, nightmarish circumstances, we experience God’s mercy and grace. We see God’s mercy when we wake up morning after morning, still alive even though we deserve not to be. We see God’s grace as He attends to our physical needs and spiritual needs, giving us food and clothing, family and friends, and His Word to read and enjoy. Even when we experience times of want or loneliness, God’s grace sustains us because we know our hope is secure in Jesus, and nothing can snatch us out of His hands. [2]

Thankfulness also provides the key to recovering from things like anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression feed on our negative thoughts and ideas. When we thank God in all circumstances, we still acknowledge our negative thoughts and ideas, but we don’t let them rule us. Instead, we turn to our King of kings, who rules with love, not fear. We fight against dark and threatening thoughts by thanking God for His good gifts.

I thank God for my friend’s willingness to share about her journal and help me understand how to be thankful in all circumstances. Praise God for good friends.

What are you thankful for today?

[1] Psalm 9:1, 28:7, 44:8, 57:9, 136:1-3, Ephesians 5:20, Colossians 3:15
[2] John 10:28