Imagine a man who has lost everything…all of his possessions…his ten children…even his health. How would this man respond to such incredible tragedy? Would he be filled with bitterness? Would he go insane? Would he commit suicide? Perhaps you don’t know that there actually was a man who experienced all of this misfortune. His name was Job, and his story can be found in the Bible. What was Job’s response to all of his losses? Listen to what he said: “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21b NASB).
Let’s take a closer look at Job’s story. [Read Job 1:1-3.] Job was a good man. He “feared God and shunned evil” (v. 1). And he was a great man…”the greatest man among all the people of the East” (v. 3). The purpose of today’s message is not to answer the question “Why do bad things happen to good people?” My purpose is to answer another question: “How can I be thankful in every circumstance?”
Life was going great for Job. It was easy to be thankful. He had a good marriage. His children were healthy. Business was booming. But then in a matter of minutes everything changed. [Read 1:6-2:10.] We ask ourselves, “How could Job be thankful in the midst of such an awful situation?” And then we scratch our heads when we read a verse like 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The New Living Translation reads, “No matter what happens, always be thankful.” It’s clear that God wants us to be thankful in every circumstance. But how can you and I possibly be thankful when life takes a tragic turn for the worse—as it did for Job?
The key for Job was that he had reached the highest level of thankfulness. That’s not to say that he didn’t struggle. That’s not to say that he didn’t question why all of this had happened to him. If you read the rest of the book, you’ll see that he did. But even though his faith was challenged, it was not destroyed. When everything was taken from him, he chose to say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
There are three levels of thankfulness.
1. Being thankful when you are BLESSED.
Satan thought that Job was faithful to God only because God had blessed him. Satan thought that if Job’s blessings were taken away, Job would curse God. That’s also what Job’s wife thought he should do. She told him, “Curse God and die.” Many people have the attitude of Satan and Job’s wife. They are thankful in the good times, but not in the bad times. If God gives them blessings; they will thank Him. But if God allows bad things to happen to them; they will curse Him.
2. Being thankful for blessings YET TO COME.
The first level is after the fact; the second is in anticipation of the fact. Thanking God before a blessing is more difficult than thanking Him afterward. This second level is where faith and hope begin, because it involves the unseen. God has promised us blessings in the future, and we can thank Him for these blessings even before we receive and experience them.
3. Being thankful in the midst of DIFFICULTY.
It’s easy to be thankful when you receive a blessing…when you get a new job…when you are healed of some sickness…when you are reconciled to a friend. Anybody can be thankful in those situations. But what if the opposite happens? Are you thankful to God in the bad circumstances of life…when you lose your job…when your doctor tells you that you have cancer…when a close friend betrays you.
Someone has said, “It is not life’s circumstances that determine the quality of our lives but how we respond to them.” Think about that.
Let’s take another look at 1 Thessalonians 4:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Paul does not say to give thanks for all circumstances, but in all circumstances.
What about the person who has no food on the table…who has just learned that he is dying…whose wife has just passed away? What about the man or woman whose burdens seem to outweigh their blessings? How can that person be thankful?
The words “thank” and “think” come from the same root word. Thankfulness grows out of thoughtfulness. The more you think about what God has done for you, what He is doing for you, and what He will do for you, the more you should be filled with thankfulness.
TREASURE IN HEAVEN
Maybe you are struggling financially. Maybe you don’t enjoy the possessions that other people possess. You may never become rich in this life, but God has promised His children eternal wealth.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17).
HOPE IN THE PROMISES OF GOD
Maybe you have experienced disappointment recently. There are always unexpected setbacks in this life, but God has promised that one day you will live in a perfect place with Him.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am” (John 14:1-3).
ADOPTION INTO GOD’S FAMILY
Maybe you are lonely. Maybe you have been separated from your family or friends because of distance, disagreement, or death. God wants you to know that You are His child, and that, though You may never see Him, He is always with You. And one day you will live in heaven with your spiritual family. Then you will never have another lonely day.
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:22-23).
NEW LIFE WITH MEANING AND PURPOSE
Maybe life hasn’t gone the way you thought it would. Maybe you think that you have failed in life. God has said that He has a plan for your life, and He won’t give up on you.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
KINDNESS OF GOD
Maybe a spouse, family member, coworker, or neighbor is treating you badly. People will fail us, but God has promised that nothing can separate us from His love.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:35, 38-39).
STRENGTH FROM GOD
Maybe you are battling sickness or experiencing some other physical problem. Our bodies get tired and old and sick, but God has promised that He will give us inner strength to help us in our times of weakness.
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:8-10).
These are blessings that will you can rely on—even if your world is falling apart—because they are based on God’s promises, which never change.
These blessings, though, are only for the child of God. But God’s love extends to all, and He invites you today to join His family…on one condition: you give your life to His Son Jesus Christ.
Jesus, I thank You
for dying on the cross for my sin.
Today I renounce my sinful ways
and put my trust in You.
Will you ask God to help you climb to third level of thankfulness?
HOW TO BE THANKFUL IN EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE
“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21b NASB).
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18).
Three levels of thankfulness:
1. Being thankful when you are ____________________.
2. Being thankful for blessings ____________________.
3. Being thankful in the midst of ____________________.
The words “thank” and “think” come from the same root word. Thankfulness grows out of thoughtfulness. The more you think about what God has done for you, what He is doing for you, and what He will do for you, the more thankful you should be.
What can a follower of Christ be thankful for even in the midst of great difficulty?
T______________________________________ (2 Cor. 4:17)
H______________________________________ (John 14:1-3)
A______________________________________ (Rom. 8:22-23)
N______________________________________ (Rom. 8:28)
K______________________________________ (2 Cor. 8:9)
S______________________________________ (2 Cor. 12:8-10)
Will you ask God to help you climb to third level of thankfulness?
GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD
Worship Leader: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
Everyone: His love endures forever.
Worship Leader: Give thanks to the God of gods.
Everyone: His love endures forever.
Worship Leader: Give thanks to the LORD of lords.
Everyone: His love endures forever.
Worship Leader: Give thanks to the God of heaven.
Everyone: His love endures forever.
Worship Leader: Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
Everyone: Make known among the nations what he has done.
Worship Leader: Sing to him, sing praise to him;
Everyone: Tell of all his wonderful acts.
Worship Leader: Glory in his holy name;
Everyone: Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Worship Leader: Look to the LORD and his strength;
Everyone: Seek his face always.
Worship Leader: Remember the wonders he has done,
Everyone: His miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.
Worship Leader: Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
Everyone: Let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”
Worship Leader: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
Everyone: His love endures forever.
Worship Leader: Then all the people said
Everyone: “Amen” and “Praise the LORD.”
Psalm 136:1-3, 26; 1 Chronicles 16:8-12, 31, 34, 36b
