Thank You Anyhow
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
by: Pastor Pamela Johnson
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. NIV Version
16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. MSG Version
Two old friends met each other on the street one day we will call them Bill and Frank. Frank looked sad, almost on the verge of tears. Bill asked, “What has the world done to you, my old friend?”
Frank said, “Let me tell you: three weeks ago, my uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars.”
Bill states “That’s a lot of money.”
Frank goes on to say “But you see, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand dollars, free and clear.”
Bill chimed in “Sounds to me that you’ve been very blessed.”
Frank proceeded to say “You don’t understand!” he interrupted. “Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million from her.”
Now the Bill was really confused. “Then, why do you look so down?”
Then Frank says “This week . . . nothing!”
That’s a problem with receiving something on a regular basis. Even if it is a gift, we eventually come to expect it. The natural tendency is that if we receive a gift long enough, we come to view it almost as an entitlement. We feel hurt, even angry, if we don’t receive it any longer.
So often we say thank you as a cliché that has no value or sincerity to it at all. We are taught at a very early age that when someone does something or gives you something the proper thing to say is thank you. Thank you has become so common that for most it holds little value. We say it without even giving much thought to the deed that warrants such sentiments. We say it so causally that often we do it without thought. It’s almost as robotic as saying, bless you when someone sneezes. We have become so numb and callus that, thank you is a habit, not a life style.
Here we find Paul writing this letter to the church in Thessalonica and he moves from giving them instruction on how to treat each other to instructions on our posture towards God. We are no different from that church we too need to check posture towards God. Thank you any how…
This morning the scripture is giving us the perfect recipe. Its three simple yet valuable ingredients that puts a believer in the posture of Thank You Any How? Its three ingredients that rip back the hard outer core of our hearts. Its three ingredients that shifts our thinking. Three ingredients that when put together becomes a powerful tool for a Christian believer. Those ingredients are rejoice always, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks.
If you will lend me your ear for a few moments I want to share with you a few things concerning those three ingredients and I will be out of your way.
How does one say Thank You Any How?
First rejoice always, second pray without ceasing and lastly in everything give thanks. Rejoice, pray and give thanks… Rejoice, pray and give thanks.
In these two verses Paul is addressing their personal worship. He is taking the time to outline just how the life of a Christian should be. He is helping them to understand that in this walk it will require us from time to time to check our posture.
There will often come times in your life that you’re having a mountain top experience. Everything is falling in place, no stress, no worries, the skies are blue and the birds are singing but then something happens. And suddenly you find yourself in a valley experience. You look around and it appears that on every side you’re faced with trouble. You have probably even made the statement, “I can’t catch a break”. You reflect on the events of your journey and there may have been times that you just wanted to give up.
But rather you’re in the mountain or in the lowest of valleys God still deserves a thank you anyhow.
Paul tells the Thessalonians to rejoice not every now and then or when faced with good fortune, but always. What did he mean by always? No matter the situation you still rejoice. Happiness can be fleeting because it’s based off of a feeling that is predicated on positive or good events. The Frank was happy when he was receiving the inheritance but when it stopped his countenance fell.
We have to remember that even in our sorrow God is still God and He deserves a thank you anyhow. We must come to the knowledge that things down here will pass away. But as a believer I hold to the promises of God for those things eternal. We have to learn that whatever state we are in, we must be content. That my situation isn’t going to destroy me but in fact it should fuel my thanks. I will rejoice always Lord rather the sun is shining or I’m in the midst of a thunderstorm, thank you anyhow. Thank you anyhow in the midst of it all.
Next, you should pray without ceasing. When you cease from doing something, it means that you bring it to an end. You are no longer going to do it. It has died out. As a Christian believer there should never be a time that I’m not in prayer. As we studied last month on intercession. We learned that when I intercede on another’s behalf I am putting myself in their place. That it requires me to labor before the Lord.
Someone may be asking the question, how can I be in prayer all the time? I have a whole lot of things going on. The kids have to get to all their sporting events. I have to check homework, cook dinner, bath the children, do laundry, watch Power and Scandal or Law and Order SVU, check on my mother, spend some time chatting with my boo and finish this project before the deadline. Who has time to pray all the time?
Let me answer that for you, you do. Although you have twelve thousand things going on, God has given you the strength to do them all. He understands that of the 1,440 minutes of the day and those 960 waking minutes that life happens. But how many minutes do you spend strolling down your Facebook time line? Loving all the pictures on Instagram, snapping and chatting, sitting on the phone gossiping or watching television. We waste countless minutes and miss numerous of opportunities to whisper a prayer.
Prayer is a conversation to God and regardless of what you doing you can still commune with Him. When we spend that much needed time with the Lord we reposition our thinking. What do you mean preacher? Well it’s like this, the more I time I spend with the creator of everything I begin to know His heart. When I begin to know His heart I then begin to see things from His perspective. What that then does is cause me to see that although it may look devastating from where I’m standing, if I shift just a little to the right I will then see it ain’t all that bad.
That child that falls off their bike and scratch their knee. They scream out in horror from the pain and that one drop of blood. They see that drop of blood and immediately the whole leg is about to fall off. But that mother or father look at it and know that it’s just a scratch and with a gentle washing and a band aid it will save the leg.
So you see prayer changes your posture. When everything is chaotic around you and the waves are beating against your boat you can still lay down and sleep at night. You can still say, thank you anyhow. Prayer moves me from maybe to miracles, from probably to praise, from help to hallelujah, from tribulation to triumph. Prayer changes things… So, thank you anyhow…
Lastly in everything give thanks…
Notice that Paul didn’t say, for everything give thanks, but in everything give thanks.
The preposition form of the word “in” is defined as expressing the situation of something that is or appears to be enclosed or surrounded by something else.
The scripture says, in everything… When I’m surrounded by pain and sorrow, I’m to give thanks. When I find myself in the midst of a trying situation, I’m to give thanks. Why, because it’s the will of God. God desires that we trust Him to do just what He said He would do. He wants us to understand that although I can’t see past the storm but I believe that God is the one that controls the storm. Whether I’m up or down, God will take care of me.
So, no matter what it looks like or how it feels, thank you anyhow. I might be sick in my body, but thank you anyhow. I may feel depleted but thank you anyhow. The bills are due and I don’t know where the money coming from, but thank you anyhow. Regardless of your situation or the circumstance God deserves a thank you anyhow. Has He ever failed you? Has He ever lied to you? Is He not a man of His word? Has He not done it before and will He not do it again? Lord, I will thank you anyhow.
I might not be able to see how You’re going to do it or when, but I trust that you will so, thank you anyhow. In the good times and the bad, thank you anyhow. In joy or sorrow, thank you anyhow. In good health or my sick bed thank you anyhow.
God just wants a thank you anyhow!
