Thankfulness: The Position of Power

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thankfulness is so much more than good manners or good etiquette. It is a position of power that is rich in benefits. Psalm 69:30 says, “Magnify Him with thanksgiving.” This underscores the magnifying properties of thankfulness. To magnify something is to bring it closer, to see it with clarity and in detail. When we are thankful, it takes us from seeing God generally at a distance to seeing Him up close and personal.

When Jesus was faced with one of His greatest challenges, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the first words from His mouth were, “Father I thank You”. Then, he commanded the risen Lazarus to step out of the tomb. When we are unthankful the problem is magnified and solutions become hard to find.

On the other hand, being thankful allows us to see how big God is and places the problem in a redemptive light. When the Lord is magnified through thankfulness the problem does not dictate our response, God does.

While fishing with my boys the other day, my oldest son Josiah jerked his fishing pole to set his hook and hit me in the face with the rod. The rod scratched my expensive polarized sunglasses and cut my face. Needless to say, I was very angry.

Instead of acting upon my anger and yelling at my son, I chose to keep an attitude of gratitude during this unfortunate and painful incident. I began to thank God that I had my sunglasses on and didn’t get my eyed poked out. Thinking about the ramifications of getting my eye poked out changed my whole perspective.

As I continued to fish, I wondered how I would have responded if my eye did get poked out. Then, I realized I could still be thankful because I have two eyes and still the ability to see. I then began to carry on this thought to its ultimate conclusion. What if both my eyes got poked out? Then, I could still be thankful that I have life. What if the jerk of the fishing pole had cut off my head and killed me? Then, I could still be thankful because I am going to heaven.

The power of thankfulness is that it keeps positioning us into something bigger and better than the problem. When we lack gratitude we are employing a very narrow radar screen. In other words, we have very limited visibility. I am often amazed at how easily people can doubt God over a simple cold, flu or some minor crisis; “O God where are you in my suffering?” My question to that is, “what about the gazillion others sicknesses, diseases and catastrophes He does keep away from us?” Giving thanks keeps our moments in divine perspective.

Have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving!