Oh, that Men would Give Thanks

Truly God is absolutely good.  Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, and His mercy endures forever! Do you hear the heart of God, as expressed many times in Psalm 107, after God responds to our desperate need: "Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!"

Yet man in his fallen nature condition seems frozen in his response to all God has done.  1 Corinthians 4:7 asks us the question, "What do you have that you did not receive?"  We may be aware for the moment when God intervenes, but there is a reason Psalm 103 calls us to "forget not his benefits." He has done so much for us, forgiven us our iniquities, delivered us from the consequences of sin that we deserve, healed our diseases, filled our mouth with good things, and crowned us with loving kindness and tender mercies.  Yet our natural mind tends to only think about the negative.  So God gave us the Word of God to transform our thinking and reveal the truth of what an awesome, loving God He is!  

Let's consider three situations that demand a response.  First, there are many times when things go well and it is only reasonable and even compelling to return to the Lord Jesus to give thanks.  For example, the tenth leper was quick to return to Jesus to give thanks after he realized he was healed.  Secondly, there are times when we have to remind ourselves of how blessed we really are and we "count our blessings one by one." The truth is we are infinitely blessed.  We have been given the gift of salvation (saved and delivered from all the evil consequences of sin) with an eternal future of rejoicing in His presence with all our needs and desires perfectly met forever.  Luke 12:32 encourages us, "Do not fear little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."  

Perhaps the third situation is the greatest challenge, when things aren't going well.  Yet, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 instructs us to "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  In other words, God wants us to live giving thanks to Him in everything that happens.  This takes faith that God's way is perfect and that He is working all things for our good.  We show our faith by obeying the command to give thanks.  It also glorifies God to thank Him when our feelings want to complain and entertain self-pity.  The good news is that even in that situation Jesus Christ has already defeated the enemy and all his attacks and we can afford to focus instead of His victory.  Hebrews 13:15 calls us to "continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."  He is always worthy of praise and thanksgiving, and when our eyes are opened for eternity, we will be so glad that we chose to give thanks and trust Him. 

We are not in this fight of faith alone. The Holy Spirit is here to help us, to lead us into all truth and to bear witness all Jesus has done so we have a grateful heart.  Line upon line and precept upon precept, He teaches us the Word so we can know the truth that sets us free.  We then have the foundation to take every though captive to obey Christ Jesus, and use the divine-powered weapons to overcome the enemy.  When we fail He reminds us that God "delights in mercy" (Micah 7:18).  He reminds us  "Now thanks be to God who always lead us in triumph in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14).  He works in us "to will and to work" for His pleasure.  All that the Lord does for us is deserving of our thanks, now and always.  The Spirit empowers us and bears witness as we thank God.

So today, the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11) gives life to your mortal body and encourages you to receive the goodness of God with thanksgiving.  Hear His plea in a personal way, Oh that you would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness to you, for His wonderful works done for you.