“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:18)
One of the great privileges of parenting is guiding a child toward growth. Parents know that challenges and discipline, though unpleasant at times, are necessary for maturity. They stretch their children, not out of cruelty but out of love, understanding that wisdom, strength, and endurance are not formed in comfort but through difficulty.
If earthly parents, though flawed, do this for their children, how much more does our perfect Heavenly Father orchestrate circumstances for our good? Jesus reminds us, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:11).
Yet, do we recognize His hand when He answers prayers for growth in ways we do not expect? When we ask to be spiritually strong, He brings trials that strengthen our faith. When we desire to be a light, He places us in darkness that His light might shine brighter. When we seek to know Him more intimately, He leads us into suffering, for it is through bearing the cross that we draw nearer to Christ. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
Do we murmur about the desert, the burden of the cross, and the weight of affliction? Or do we trust the hand of our all-wise Father, knowing that He is working all things according to His perfect will? “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33).
God has ordained every moment of our lives—every sorrow and every joy—for our sanctification. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). The command to give thanks in all things is not rooted in blind optimism but in the certainty of God’s wise and sovereign purpose. Our Heavenly Father knows that we are shaped by our trials.
“‘Rejoice evermore: Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks.’ At first view we may imagine the Apostle puts us upon either impossible or impracticable, or contradictory services: Rejoice evermore! As if we had no cause of sorrow, nor any thing further to ask; and yet Pray without ceasing! as if we had no place for, or cause for thanksgiving: Pray, as if you had nothing; and yet Praise, as if you possessed all things: And in everything give thanks.”[1]
Simeon Ashe, one of the Westminster Divines, wrote, “Christians are to be persuaded with a conscientious care to improve all God’s favorable providences to promote and better their obedience, according to his purpose and appointment.” True thanksgiving is not confined to the blessings we readily enjoy—it extends to the afflictions that refine us, the burdens that teach us dependence, and the hardships that conform us to Christ.
So why be thankful for adversity? Because “this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). God is not indifferent to our trials; He is using them to make us more like His Son. Let us therefore cultivate gratitude, not only for the joys of life but also for the refining fire of suffering, knowing that all is ordained by His loving hand.
Contemplations
- Recognizing God’s Purpose in Hardship. God orchestrates trials to refine and strengthen us, yet our hearts often resist His work. “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It’s easy to rejoice when God’s hand blesses us in ways we enjoy, but do I see His kindness in the burdens that shape my faith? The trial that humbles me, the affliction that drives me to my knees—these are His mercies, though they may not feel like it at the time.
- Trusting the All-Wise Father. God does not lead us into difficulty without purpose. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). It isn’t always clear why He allows certain hardships, yet His wisdom is greater than my understanding. I am quick to trust Him when His providence is pleasant, but do I trust Him when it is painful? His purposes do not fail, and He never withholds what is best for me.
- Thankfulness in the Desert Places. The desert is where faith is strengthened, yet it is also often the place where my heart grows weary. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). When God leads me into seasons of difficulty, it is not to abandon me but to teach me dependence. Do I embrace the lessons of the desert, or do I only long for deliverance? The barrenness of affliction is not a sign of God’s absence but an invitation to trust Him more fully.
- Obedience in Thanksgiving. Gratitude is not just a feeling; it is an act of obedience. “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). To be thankful when blessings abound is natural, but to give thanks in suffering requires faith. Lord, help me cultivate thanksgiving as a discipline, because it is not just a response to what I understand but an act of submission to Your will and an expression of trust in the God who never fails.
Prayer
O sovereign and merciful God, I come before You in reverence, lifting my heart in praise. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33). You are perfect in all Your ways, wise in all Your decrees, and good in all Your providences. Your purposes are beyond my comprehension, yet they should never be beyond my trust.
Lord, I confess my weakness before You. How often have I questioned Your hand when affliction has come my way? How often have I murmured in the desert, longing for relief rather than sanctification? Forgive me for my short-sightedness, for failing to recognize that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28). Teach me to see trials as Your refining fire, to embrace hardship as a means of grace, and to trust that even in suffering, You are drawing me closer to You.
I thank You, Father, for Your faithfulness in every season. I thank You for the joys that bring delight and the sorrows that shape my soul. I thank You that You are not a distant God but a loving Father who ordains each moment for my good. Let me not be content with thanking You for the pleasant things alone, but may my heart rejoice even in adversity, knowing that “this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning me” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Lord, grant me a heart that is steadfast in thanksgiving. When trials come, let me not shrink back in doubt but help me stand firm, confident in Your goodness. Help me cultivate gratitude as a discipline, to practice thanksgiving as an act of obedience, and to proclaim Your faithfulness in every circumstance. I want my life to be a testimony to Your sovereign grace, that others may see and glorify You.
For You are worthy, O Lord, of all praise. Your wisdom is perfect, Your love unshaken, and Your purpose sure. Be glorified in my thanksgiving, both in times of blessing and in times of trial. For all things are from You, through You, and unto You. To You alone be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.
Further References for 1 Thessalonians 5:18:
Ephesians 5:20; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 3:17; Psalm 50:14, 105:1.
[1] Vincent Alsop, Duty and Interest United in Prayer and Praise, (London: Printed for John Barnes, 1695), 12.
