The grace of God does not always come to us in the form of favorable breezes. Sometimes it takes the shape of storms, at other times, periods of being becalmed – no wind in the sails, nothing moving, stuck. But His grace never fails, and in everything He is calling us to look to Him, lean on Him, rejoice in Him – and give thanks. Paul reports that the failure to give thanks leads to futility and foolishness, the twin gateways to sin. “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God” (1 Thess. 5.18). He does not say, “In everything be thankful” but “In everything give thanks.” Thanksgiving is a form of faith: in the face of even adverse circumstances (Verizon, where are you?), we give thanks because we know we are sustained by the grace of God, we know He works all things according to the counsel of His will, we know that He does all things well, and we know that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him. Knowing all this, we give thanks “in everything” because we anticipate by faith the blessing that is to come.
-T. M. Moore
