Thanksgiving In The Midst of The Pandemic
THANKSGIVING IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
I’m sure all of us would agree that the year 2020 has really been a very difficult year. Initially, everybody thought the Covid-19 Pandemic will only last during the spring months of the year and we all can go back to normal when the summer kicks in. Very few anticipated that it would last until the end of this year. I know most experts are saying that even with the availability of vaccines, we really cannot expect some sort of normalcy, not until the middle of next year. Well, all we can do is simply wait on the Lord.
Of course, more than the Pandemic itself, so many people have also gone through additional complications – the loss of loved ones and loss of businesses or jobs; while others went through other calamities like earthquakes, wild fires, typhoons, and hurricanes. So, as we approach this Thanksgiving celebrations, the biggest question is can we really be thankful in the midst of all these heartbreaking catastrophes?
Believe me, I do recognize the challenge. However, as a Bible student, I also cannot deny what the Bible has clearly exhorted us to do. Notice specifically verse 18 of our main text – “give thanks in all circumstances.” This statement is so plain that our thanksgiving is not only limited in good circumstances, but also in “all” kinds of circumstances in our lives – good, not so good, and even bad circumstances. Now, why do you think that we are exhorted to do this? Allow me to help you understand three basic rationales behind this exhortation:
I OUR THANKSGIVING DECLARES GOD’S SOVEREIGHTY OVER OUR CIRCUMSTANCES:
As believers of Jesus Christ, we should be fully aware that our life’s circumstances do not happen randomly, but they all go through the watchful eye of God who sovereignly rules the universe. Let me show you two significant verses that establish this truth. The first one is Daniel 4:35 (ESV)
35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
In order for us to have a good grasp of this verse, we need to understand some context of Daniel chapter 4. If you back track on this chapter, beginning in verse 28, you will find King Nebuchadnezzar walking on his rooftop enjoying the view of all his achievements in his kingdom, Babylon. Unfortunately, as he reflected on all of these accomplishments, he started praising himself, instead of giving credit to God’s gracious work in his life. So, while he was still congratulating himself, God punished him and caused him to lose his sanity. Immediately, he started behaving like an animal. This judgment lasted for 12 long months. Then, in verse 35, we find the praise of King Nebuchadnezzar. Here, he literally began acknowledging God’s sovereign work in his life and as a result, the Lord restored him. I trust that we all can accept this truth.
The next verse is quite familiar, Romans 8:28 (ESV):
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
The logical reason why we can still thank God even in the midst of heartbreaking circumstances is our confidence that whatever God permits to happen in our lives, they are for our own good. In other words, God is using them as a tool in order to bring out the best in our lives. Yes, it is true that while we are going through difficult circumstances, we may not see immediately the purpose why God has permitted them, but I guarantee you later we will see how these difficult situations have molded us to be much better individuals. The Bible is quite clear that God uses our trials to instill in us the character we need to be able to bring greater honor and glory to Him
1 Peter 1:7 (ESV)
7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
I believe that this is also the very reason why the apostle Paul can add this phrase at the end of our main text – “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (v.18). Let’s ponder upon this truth again. You see, it is not God’s will for us to be whining and complaining during these days. Let’s us learn to still look up and say, “Lord, I may not understand why you are allowing these difficult challenges in our lives today, but I will continually thank you and glorify you, believing that they will make me a much better believer in this world. Give me the strength to remain grateful at all times.”
II OUR THANKSGIVING DELIVERS DEEPER JOY IN LIFE.
The Bible is quite clear that God is able to give us inner joy that is never dependent on life’s circumstances. A perfect example of this joy is Paul and Silas singing and praising the Lord in a prison cell in Philippi after they just have been mugged by a crowd and flogged by soldiers for preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:19-26). How can he rejoice in the Lord in the midst of this predicament? No wonder while writing the Philippian church while imprisoned in Rome, he exhorted them with these words:
Philippians 4:4 (ESV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
This kind of joy that comes from the Lord is so important in our lives because it gives us the strength or energy we need in order to thrive in the midst of our difficulties in life. Listen to Nehemiah convey this truth clearly to the people who were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem during his time:
Nehemiah 8:10 (ESV)
10 . . . And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Listen, “the joy of the LORD is your strength.” And we certainly need this joy today, right? Well, if you are craving for this kind of joy in your life, one thing for sure is that you can never have it by whining and complaining. But by being intentional in counting your blessings in the Lord even in the midst of all these troubles we are going through in life. Where do I get this idea?
Go back to our main text and notice in verse 16 saying, “Rejoice always.” It is crystal clear that “rejoicing always” and “giving thanks in all circumstances” are connected together. Without a doubt, God is telling us that our attitude of gratitude can help deliver this inner joy that comes from the Lord.
Let me ask you: Could this be true? Well, in the Harvard Health Publisher that came this month, they featured two major studies done by two leading psychologists, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, have done much of the research on gratitude. In their study, they asked all participants to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular topics. One group wrote about things they were grateful for that had occurred during the week. A second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them, and the third wrote about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on them being positive or negative). After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation.
Another leading researcher in this field, Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, tested the impact of various positive psychology interventions on 411 people, each compared with a control assignment of writing about early memories. When their week's assignment was to write and personally deliver a letter of gratitude to someone who had never been properly thanked for his or her kindness, participants immediately exhibited a huge increase in happiness scores. This impact was greater than that from any other intervention, with benefits lasting for a month.
You know, I always love it when the so called “world experts” are validating the truthfulness of the Bible. Many of them have spent millions of dollars to simply say what the Bible had already been saying all along. They could have saved a lot of money by simply believing the Word of God. I trust you and I are willing to listen to this truth as well – If you want greater joy in life, you have to be more intentional in maintaining that attitude of being thankful even in the midst of your difficult circumstances.
III OUR THANKSGIVING DEMANDS CONSTANCY IN PRAYER
In our text, after Paul exhorted them to rejoice always, he also provided a very short command regarding prayer, saying, “pray without ceasing.” Then comes his mandate for giving thanks in all circumstances. Just as we have connected rejoicing and giving thanks, we need to also emphasize praying and giving thanks. Notice, these three activities are unique because they should be done “constantly” or “at all times.”
Of course, when we talk about “pray without ceasing,” we definitely don’t mean that we abandon our regular duties and give all our time wholly in prayers. This command simply means we pray extemporaneously as needs arise; and we enjoy continuous communion with the Lord in prayer. In other words, we are always sensitive that God is present and is walking with us at all times; and we can converse with Him anytime we want to.
Well, going back to the connection of praying and giving thanks, God expects that we are not just asking for our needs all the time without giving thanks; their should be a healthy balance with our asking and giving of thanks. The apostle showed this balance when he wrote these words in
Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Notice how he said it in verse 6, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.” Again, thanksgiving should be included every time we pray and ask God for our needs. Or else, we become like the nine lepers to went to Jesus Christ in Luke 17:11-19. It is sad to see that with the 10 lepers, only one had the sense of gratitude to go back to Jesus Christ and thank Him for His healing. In the same passage, Jesus highlighted the ingratitude of the 9 lepers when he asked in verse 17, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”
How sad it is to see that in our sinfulness we are really slow in giving thanks to God and really appreciate Him for all the benefits we have received from Him. Yet, we demand gratitude from others when we have helped them and we feel disappointed when thanksgiving was not expressed.
I remember reading a story that happened during the early thirties when this country was going through deep economic depression. So many people have lost their jobs, rich people were committing suicide, and people were suffering. Pastor William Stidger was making preparations for his Thanksgiving Day sermon when he decided to be proactive with his thanksgiving by sending a letter of thanks to people who had been a blessing to him during those terrible times. One of the people he thanked was an English teacher who had instilled in him a love of literature and verse, affecting all his writing and preaching. So, he wrote to her. In a matter of days he got a reply from her, saying:
"My Dear Willy: I can't tell you how much your note meant to me. I am in my eighties, living alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, lonely, and like the last leaf of autumn lingering behind. You'll be interested to know that I taught in school for more than 50 years, and yours is the first note of appreciation I ever received. It came on a blue, cold morning, and it cheered me as nothing has done in many years."
How sad, right? But think about your relationship with God. Is it possible that we have also failed to maintain this sense of gratitude towards Him? Allow me to remind you tonight, God expects us to pray and thank Him constantly. These two activities should always go together.
As I close, let me again challenge you, it is possible to be thankful to God despite all that we are going through today. I even would submit to you that it shows great maturity in our faith when we are able to thank God in our most difficult times. Job exemplified this level of maturity. After he was stripped of all his earthly possessions including his 10 precious children, his response was:
Job 1:21 (ESV)
21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
I pray that we would be able to live out this kind of thanksgiving as we continue to walk with the Lord.
-Dr. Jeremiah Lepasana