I love Thanksgiving and everything it brings: the food, the atmosphere, the start of the Christmas season, and, most of all, its message of gratitude. It’s easy to be grateful when life is going well. But what if you are in the middle of a challenging year marked by death and suffering? What if there are no obvious reasons to be thankful? Should we give thanks for the bad things that happen in our lives?
The Bible is full of encouragement to give thanks. Countless verses tell us to thank God. If we look more closely, we can see that the reasons for thanksgiving are always good. For example, Psalm 107:8 says, “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.” Even in James 1:2-3, where the author encourages us to find joy in our trials, the reason he gives isn’t our trials themselves but their beneficial result: perseverance.
Does God expect us to thank him for tragedies such as a loved one’s death or being the victim of a crime? I’ve often heard Ephesians 5:20 quoted to support that view: “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” But does this verse truly say that? Does Paul mean that we should thank God for evil and tragedies themselves? I don’t think we can necessarily come to that conclusion.
First, some commentators believe that Paul, by using the word “everything,” meant “everything that God has done,” especially for all the expressions of God’s grace, mercy, and love spelled out in the letter to the Ephesians. They keep the meaning of the verse in the context of Paul’s letter.
Second, one of the basic rules of Biblical interpretation warns us not to base an opinion on a single unclear verse that appears to conflict with the rest of Scripture. Nowhere does the Bible explicitly say we should give thanks for bad things, nor does it give examples of anyone doing so. Yes, people praise God in the midst of tragedies, but the Bible doesn’t require us to pretend that suffering isn’t painful or call evil things good.
Whatever we think Paul meant in Ephesians 5, what is clear is that God wants us to always find reasons to be grateful, even when we’re going through hard times. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” These weren’t empty words either. Paul lived what he preached. Despite spending much of his later life in prison, he continually expressed joy and thanksgiving in his letters. He never let prison stop him from finding reasons to rejoice and be grateful, and he focused on the good that resulted from his imprisonment.
Why is giving thanks so important? It is vital for our emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
First, it strengthens our relationship with God. Psalm 100 tells us to “enter his gates with thanksgiving.” This verse paints a picture of a pilgrim entering the temple in Jerusalem, God’s dwelling place on earth. In other words, we are to enter God’s presence with thanksgiving. The more grateful we are and express it to him through prayer, the closer to our Creator we become.
Second, it strengthens our relationships with others. Research shows a correlation between gratitude and generosity. Grateful people tend to be more generous. They are also more positive and better-liked by others. (1)
Third, gratitude is associated with our physical and emotional health. Studies have found that grateful people are more energetic and enthusiastic, experience fewer aches and pains, sleep better, and have lower blood pressure. In general, they are happier. (1)
An Amish proverb says, “Peace is seeing a sunset and knowing whom to thank.” When the day ends, whether it’s been good or bad, there are always reasons to give thanks. No, we don’t pretend that we’re happy because of our suffering. But no matter how dark the circumstances, we can look for the good that God is doing, and thank him.
(1) Robert A. Emmons, Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007.
This Post Has 4 Comments
Interesting thought. Thanks for sharing. I’ve always been taught the “all things” of the New Testament to mean “all things”. I do have to rethink what you shared.
Blessings!
Thanks 🙂
I have never heard this before… it is worth digging into and praying about.
Thanks for the thoughts Carol.
I think that at the heart of the issue is our understanding of what God’s sovereignty entails. If we believe that His sovereignty means that He is actively behind everything that happens on this earth, then, of course, we should give thanks for everything. But if we think of God’s sovereignty as leaving room for God allowing events, but not approving of them, then there is no need to thank Him for something that He Himself doesn’t applaud. But regardless of our view, we should always thank Him for the fact that He can use anything and turn it around for our good. And, of course, it’s vital to continually have an attitude of gratitude, no matter what.