A Life of Thankfulness
As the meat sweats, socially acceptable gluttony, and mild diabetic comas begin to subside, the question believers must continue to wrestle with, throughout the entire year is, "what is a life of thankfulness"? Who is responsible for the good in our life? And what is the telos of our thankfulness?
For the pagan man, the words "I am thankful for ____" must end at his own self. He is thankful for the things he likes. He is grateful for whatever pleases him and aligns with his value structure. But, what that man cannot be is thankful in any holistic way because innumerable things exist that are still displeasing to him.
An ounce of lucidity and self-reflection confirms it. Life is served up hot and ready with more examples of pain than there are pleasures. A man's work is filled with futility; his family is struggling or even falling apart; inflation feels like a noose around his neck, and the holiday called Thanksgiving is just another opportunity to spread a little faux gratitude over the black hole of his existence. Without God, the love of Christ, and the ministry of the Holy Ghost, that annual November food fest reduces down to a "chasing after the wind" with a side of honey-baked ham and yams. All the world can do is participate in the farce of fatalism; they may eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow, they surely will die. That is their lot.
Yet, for the Christian, thanksgiving is much more than a day of excess eating and football. Thanksgiving takes over all of life. It invades every darkened corner of the mind, heart, will, and soul and becomes the ongoing ritual of our earthly existence.
The reason for this is simple. Giving thanks is not limited to a day or conditioned by our preferences, opinions, or circumstances. It did not originate with pilgrims and Indians. The Christian approach to Thanksgiving can and must be different. We may give thanks in all of life, in both the good times and bad, because our gratitude is rooted in the very nature and character of God, and He is the one who will fill our mouths with laughter (Psalm 126:1-3).
Notice how the psalmist describes Thanksgiving in Psalm 107:
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" - Psalm 107:1
Let us examine this more closely so that we may understand Thanksgiving.
HOLISTIC THANKSGIVING
The psalmist begins with an unconditional statement, "Oh, give thanks," which invites neither limitation, duration, nor qualification to our thankfulness. Instead, he welcomes us into the ongoing warmth and beauty of ubiquitous gratitude that pervades every facet of our lives. He summons us into the kind of joy that sings in a storm, dances in the rain, diligently inventories, and blankets myriad aspects of reality with hearty hopeful praises. The entire plane of existence for the believer becomes the playground of current and future joy.
Think about it from the positive side of things. We have souls filled by the Spirit of God, redeemed by the King of kings, cleansed of iniquity and stain, and commissioned both temporally and eternally by our God. "Oh, give thanks!" We have eyes to see the beauty of God's world. We have ears to hear perfect pitch and infant giggles. We possess mouths to taste a panoply of exquisite flavors, hands to touch, and arms to wrap up the ones we love in a long embrace. We have cells that replicate without effort, lungs that fill our body full of life, and a million other features bestowed upon us by a happy, joyful, and loving God. "Oh, give thanks!"
We are blessed spiritually, physically, personally, materially, relationally, locally, nationally, and globally in more ways than we ever dared dream. Everything is an avenue of ceaseless praise and unending thanksgiving to our God. Even our pain, scars, and disappointments are opportunities for the giving of thankfulness. How so?
Because that sin you are struggling with is sanctifying you. "Oh, give thanks!" That illness you carry reminds you that this world is not your home. "Oh, give thanks!" That pain in your heart that is aching is pointing you to Christ. "Oh, give thanks!" That trial that keeps you awake at night, that fear that fuels you to despair, that betrayal that leaves your pillow saturated with tears, was given for your good. "Oh, give thanks!"
Treating thanksgiving in this way is not blind optimism. On the contrary, it acknowledges that we are not the telos of our joy. We are not the rightful arbiter of our circumstances. Under every good and happy thing and every bitter and sour thing is the smiling face of God, whose providence allows for nothing but our good (Romans 8:28).
"Oh, give thanks!"
That is why we do not direct our thankfulness toward people, places, and particular situations because they are too cheap and far too flimsy to stand under the weight of praise. People will let you down. Your body will decay. Life will sucker punch you in the teeth when you are not looking. So, dear friends, do not give your thanks to those things! Instead, give it to Almighty God, as the psalmist proclaims.
DIRECTIONAL THANKSGIVING
The psalmist says: "Oh, give thanks TO THE LORD." Unlike the world, which directs its praises onto creatures and creations, we look past these things to hurl our praises unto God, the creator who is blessed forever! We thank Him for our lot in life, for our jobs, and for the material blessings we either have or do not have. We bless His name for both the pleasures and the pains. We do not limit this behavior to a single day on a holiday calendar cycle, but we adopt this manner of thankfulness as a way of living in His presence!
We give thanks to Him for everything. We grumble and complain about nothing. And we repent and reorient our lives to God whenever we get these things confused. The Christian is the only one on earth who can offer thanks that will never rust or decay because it is poured out onto a limitless Lord.
"Oh, give thanks to the Lord!"
PURPOSEFUL THANKSGIVING
The psalmist continues: "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, FOR HE IS GOOD."
No matter what this year has looked like for you, and no matter what enjoyments or disappointments you have walked through, no matter if you feel abandoned, forsaken, alone, or on top of the world, you can be thankful because the Lord is good. He has been good to you in your trials. He has always given you better than you deserved. He has been executing His excellent plan in the midst of your doubts. He is singing a love song over you even while your eyes fill with tears or your heart palpitates with fear. All the pain and shame you feel will be quieted in His love. He is the only one who has been exceedingly good to you because He is the only one who is maximally good.
"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good."
HOPEFUL THANKSGIVING
The psalmist concludes this introductory sentence: "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, FOR HIS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!"
Knowing this, we do not need to understand everything that happens in this life, nor can we, in order to give thanks to God! Time binds us, and yet God is timeless. A single location restricts our bodies in the present, while God is omnipresent. We are the ones who are weak, yet He is omnipotently strong. We are the myopic ones, while His eyes see everything. We are finite; He is infinite. If anyone were in the position to evaluate our lives or the goodness and character of God, it would not be us.
That is why Scripture are so critical to our thankfulness. We can live like the world in our finite feelings, interpretations, and perceptions. We can misunderstand reality because we are far too limited to comprehend it. We could accept shallow attempts at thanksgiving that end in uncomfortable naps with stomachs filled with misery. Or we can trust this good God, with His good Word, that leads us into all thankfulness and joy!
With humility in our hearts, let us praise our good and holy God this Thanksgiving. Let us remember that He is perfectly good. Remember that His steadfast love will endure forever, both now and into eternity. Let us be skeptical and critical of our perceptions and have a simple faith that acknowledges His goodness in every circumstance.
To you and yours, I hope you have a wonderful day of giving thanks to God.
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" - Psalm 107:1
