1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
You may think it is easy to write about gratitude. I’m tempted to agree with you. In the world of blog writing, a Thanksgiving blog should be a slam dunk. And yet, as I looked to the scriptures in preparation to write, I found an instruction for gratitude that felt almost radical. How exactly is one to give thanks in all circumstances?
When the Thessalonian church was established, believers of The Way were met with severe persecution. As the church became rooted in faith, there was an overflow of joy for the True King, who gave himself for us, Jesus the Nazarene. As believers began to share that Jesus is the true king, there was backlash from Jews and Gentiles alike. If you were living in first century Macedonia, suggesting someone other than Caesar as king was punishable by death.
Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonians to encourage the church’s faith in the midst of grief and suffering. By commanding the believers in Thessalonica to be thankful in all circumstances was he glossing over and forgetting their affliction?
Paul is not a stranger to hardship, nor one to minimize it. In 2 Corinthians 1:8 Paul writes “For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself”. Paul laments. And still, he wrote “in all circumstances”.
Often, when I read 1 Thessalonians 5:18, I think of fleas. In Corrie Ten Boom’s novel, The Hiding Place, Corrie is aghast (as most readers are) when her sister, Betsie, thanks God for the fleas in their barracks at a concentration camp in Nazi Germany.
Corrie despaired as she took in the conditions in which they would be living in Barracks 28: plumbing had backed up, bedding was soiled and rancid, straw covered platforms were shared by multiple women, and the room was crawling with fleas. As she combated nausea, she asked Betsie how they could live in such a place.
Miraculously, Corrie had been able to smuggle a bible into Ravensbruck. The sisters had spent the morning reading 1 Thessalonians. In response to Corrie’s question, Betsie exclaimed that Jesus had already given them the answer within the scriptures.
“That’s it, Corrie, that’s His answer. ‘Give thanks in all circumstances!’ That’s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!”
Betsie proceeds to thank Jesus for the fleas.
“ ‘Give thanks in all circumstances’ “ she quoted. “It doesn’t say, ‘in pleasant circumstances.’ Fleas are a part of the place where God has put us.”
I am genuinely confronted by Betsie’s earnest faith. How was she able to thank God for the fleas? How was she able to thank God at all?
Maybe, gratitude was never meant to be circumstantial. Afterall, Paul writes “in all circumstances”. My flinch is to be upset by this. What about the fleas? But, as I look closer, I find good news. The world’s depiction of gratitude is accompanied by a shiny positivity that is often based upon pleasant circumstances. If our capacity to give thanks is measured by our circumstances, we will find ourselves lost to the gifts that a posture of gratitude holds.
God offers gratitude that is not always accompanied by pleasant circumstances. It is not based on a false positivity but by deep unshakable hope in Him and His word. We are able to give thanks in all circumstances because of Jesus, who He is, and what He did for us on the cross. “This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
When we believe Jesus is who He says He is; when we trust in the presence, sovereignty and love of our Messiah, it is possible to give thanks in all circumstances. Paul did not write 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to gloss over the Thessalonians suffering. Quite the contrary, through Jesus Christ, he gives them hope in it. As I ask the question, how is one able to give thanks in all circumstances? I now realize it is only because of Jesus.
Gratitude in hardship is not radical but biblical.
Friend, I don’t know what you are going through but our God does. He cares for the details of your life and sees the ways you are hurting. He cares. Jesus knows when you find it hard to give thanks. He is patient and gentle with our hurting hearts. If you are struggling to find gratitude this Thanksgiving, be honest with Him and hold His promises close. I believe that it is in this place, at His feet, we will be able to find our gratitude.
A final note for the fleas. Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom were able to share God’s word with the women of Ravensbruck in the back of Barracks 28. The guards refused to walk through the door. Betsie eventually learned why.
“She wouldn’t step through the door and neither would the guards. And you know why?” Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice as she exclaimed, “Because of the fleas! That’s what she said: ‘That place is crawling with fleas! ‘ ”
Romans 8:28 – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
By: Raegan Duke
Communications and Admin Specialist