Giving Thanks In All Circumstances

By Andrea Lucado

Just as Jesus gave thanks before breaking bread with his disciples, perhaps your family gives thanks before meals. Maybe the prayer is always the same, words thanking God for the food and for health. Maybe the prayer is spontaneous, and if grandmother is saying it, it can go on a bit too long as you stare at your waiting plate.

As we enter the season of gathering around the table, the season of Thanksgiving, we want to spend some time talking about the greater concept of gratitude given in scripture. Gratitude is about much more than a pre-meal prayer; it is a way of life. When we read about giving thanks in the Bible, we see that gratitude is a continual practice, and one that has the potential to be life-giving and life-changing.

The Gospels record several different times that Jesus gave thanks aloud:

1. Matthew 11:25 (also recorded in Luke 10:21): Jesus thanks his Father for His sovereignty in revealing His word and His ways.

2. John 6:11: Jesus gives thanks for the bread that he multiplies to feed the 5,000 men, plus women and children.

3. John 11:41: Right before Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, he thanks the Father for hearing him.

4. Matthew 26:26,27 (also recorded in Mark 14:22,23 and Luke 22:17,19): Jesus gives thanks for the bread and wine as he eats with his disciples for the last time before his crucifixion.

Notice the difference in these events. Jesus thanks God for His knowledge, for His power to perform miracles through him, and for sustenance and provision, even when that provision comes on the dawn of the most difficult moment of Jesus’ life.

Jesus gave thanks for different attributes of God, and he gave thanks during different types of circumstances. He didn’t reserve the practice of gratitude for meals, and he didn’t reserve the practice of gratitude for miracles. He gave thanks to God for all of it. Can we do the same?

Paul tells us to do just that. After giving several instructions to the church, this is his final one: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18). It is God’s will that we who are in Christ give thanks in all circumstances. Good, bad, exciting, boring, anxious, fearful, calm, peaceful—in all of it, give thanks to God.

It’s easy to think about giving thanks during the season of Thanksgiving, but can we continue to practice thanksgiving outside of the month of November? Can we do what Jesus did, and as Paul instructed, and give thanks in all circumstances?

Gratitude, as we will discover over the next few weeks, is critical to the Christian life. Let’s be thankful today and always for God’s attributes, for His power, and for His love.

If you would like to learn more about Jesus’ life while on earth, we encourage you to explore our study, Jesus in Action.