When There is No Reason to Give Thanks
There might be times when we think there are no reasons for thanking our God. How can we be thankful given what we are going through? Experiencing life’s hardships can easily lead us to that conclusion.
A personal relationship with God will greatly impact how we react to problems. However, even those who are very close to God can sometimes lose perspective.
Take for example Elijah. He was good at praying in a way that received a prompt and supernatural response from God. However, when his life was at risk he just ran away, hid, and even prayed for his life to end (1 Kings 19:2-4). The man of powerful prayers was all of a sudden overcome by depression.
Can you pray like Elijah? I can’t. But I have more than once allowed adversities to make me lose sight of who God is; making me forget what God has done in my life, and feel like there was no reason to be thankful.
Depression wasn’t the end of Elijah’s life. God didn’t reject him because of that, but actually continued using him (v. 5-18). Even more, he was taken to heaven alive (2 Kings 2:11). I guess this is a good reason to give thanks.
Did Elijah conquer because he was good at praying? No. He conquered because he served a powerful God.
Our story might not be the same as Elijah’s, but our God is. Elijah’s life didn’t end with his fears, but in God’s presence. The same will happen to everyone who trusts God. When we get there, all struggles will be forgotten, and only gratitude will spring from our hearts.
Why shall we allow our fleeting problems to dictate how we feel? We are heading to victory: that is a reason to be thankful.
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