If we are Christians, we are in God’s providential care. Therefore we know that “In everything, God works for good for those (for us) who love Him (Romans 8:28).”
God is our Father who loves us even better than any earthly Father. This doesn’t mean we won’t have times of pain and suffering. Sometimes God needs to discipline us or prune us to help us grow. Sometimes he lets things happen to us for the sake of working in someone else’s life.
In the Bible, we read about Joseph who was unjustly and cruelly treated by his brothers (See Genesis 37-50). He went through slavery, and unjust accusations caused him to be imprisoned. But later, when God gave him the ability to interpret Pharoah’s dream, he became ruler in Egypt second only to Pharoah who appointed him in charge of storing food ahead for the famine which was coming. This kept the people of the nation and also his own family from starving. Then, when his brothers repented, he told them, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today” (Gen. 50:20).
Merlin Carothers is an author of several books about Praising God. I read two of them: Power in Praise and Victory on Praise Mountain He gave several examples of how people were blessed and their lives changed for good when they praised God for the things that happened in their lives. He said in Victory on Praise Mountain: ” … our Christian walk is not going to be just joy and fellowship. If is is to be at all effective for the Lord, then Satan is going to be active. We will have to engage in spiritual warfare just as serious Christians always have” (page 24).
Now that we are near to the time of celebrating Thanksgiving, I keep thinking about my favorite thanksgiving song: “Thanks to God for my Redeemer.” Some of the phrases may not be easily sung, such as ‘Thanks for dark and dreary fall,’ ‘Thanks for tears by now forgotten,’ ‘Thanks for roses by the wayside, thanks for thorns their stems contain.’ ‘Thanks for pain and thanks for pleasure.’
When we give thanks to God we not only show appreciation. We show God that we recognize him as the utlimate source of all goodness, provision, and faithfulness. It shows that we trust Him, that we know we don’t deserve his gifts, but are grateful for them. So if things don’t go the way you wish, praise God anyway.
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