Thanksgiving

By: Xh. Sean Yang

Bible Passage:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

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. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

Summary

The Apostle Paul’s message to the people starting at verse 16 speaks to what is coming at hand. Thanksgiving. As we read through his message, it seems as if he is about to end, however he continues on and has a lot more to say. He shoots out multiple short commands to  the Thessalonians, trusting that the Holy Spirit will fill them up and help them apply the commands more specifically within their lives. Let us rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in everything.…

However, let us not restrain the Spirit.… Let us hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. Though these commands are simple, following them and applying them isn’t as simple. The only way we can constantly give thanks and rejoice in the Lord, is by knowing that God is working something out in our lives and trusting Him with all that we do.

Reflect

But…

How can we give thanks if we lost our job? How can we give thanks if someone steals our car?

How can we give thanks if we’ve been diagnosed with a disease? How can we give thanks if we can’t conceive?

How can we give thanks if our friend refuses to talk to us? How can we give thanks if we are spending the holidays alone?

How can we give thanks if our marriage is falling apart? How can we give thanks if our child is suffering?

How can we give thanks if we lost a loved one? How can we give thanks if we don’t know what the future holds?

Because even though we are struggling, our God is still sacred…. Our God is still good.

In each and every difficult situation, the Creator of all gives us glimpses of hope in a sacred place. It’s the place where God is working all things together for good. It’s where the hidden blessings are stored and revealed. They aren’t always easy to find, but they’re always there if we are willing to search deeper.

Pray

Heavenly Father, we come to you with broken hearts and shattered spirits. We pray that we will find your sacred place today. Where we give thanks for what we do have, instead of complaining about what we don’t have. We pray we will find your sacred place when we give thanks for what is right instead of worrying about what is wrong. Instead of focusing on the pain and suffering, let us lift up everything to you and rejoice in your gifts. We pray we will find your sacred place where we give thanks to your process and timing, instead of grumbling about the problem. We pray and give thanks to you oh God and before we gather with friends and family this Thanksgiving, let’s be intentional about giving thanks no matter what our circumstances are. We thank you Lord. In Jesus’s name. Amen