(This is typically said with an exclamation mark and a spoken, or not, ‘whew’.) It struck me anew how quickly we are to say, ‘Thank you Lord’, when we’ve suddenly emerged or escaped from a difficult situation. Or, how we use those words when things are going well and we are happy and pleased and think about the source of our joy. But how often do we think about thanking the Lord when we’re in a sticky situation? And please read this carefully – I am not saying we should be grateful for painful experiences, but we should be grateful in the situation.
Why? Because scripture keeps telling us to praise, to rejoice. If there was only one theme from Old through New Testaments it’s a call to praise, to rejoice… to thank. There are countless scriptures from the Psalms, “…let all the earth, praise the Lord.” to Philippians which says, “… again I tell you, rejoice.” But in none of those scriptures does it tell us to thank the Lord for the situation.
Even if we only look at one ‘case’, Job is a perfect example. After everything was taken from him, after all the attacks, after his friends and his wife abandoned him he still would not blame the Lord and continued to honor Him. Why? Does God need our praise so badly that He will do anything to get it? I don’t think so.
I would suggest that it is because of what happens to us when we praise and rejoice. When our focus is upon the Lord then the outside world ceases to influence us. It’s at that time that we recall some of the scriptures we can stand on such as, “I will never leave you …” and “… He will provide a way through…”
Thanking/praising the Lord is a lifestyle decision. It’s not a behavior that is automatic, it is an act that requires your mind to be involved. It is your choice to live such a lifestyle… actually, you are invited to.
