"Giving thanks at all times for all things in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God and the Father.” Ephesians 5:20

The above quoted verse is one that we're familiar with, but is usually glossed over or not easily put to practice when our situations become difficult. Why would God ask us to thank Him to give thanks to Him for everything regardless of the circumstances? The idea may defy human logic and evoke great skepticism. However, the Lord rarely binds Himself to man-made rules even when He was on the earth as a Man. Scriptural principles are design to either to protect us or to benefit us in our Christian life. Firstly, a continual gratitude to God keeps us aware of His indwelling Presence, which builds our trust and ultimately strengthens our spiritual walk with Him. When we learn to give thanks to the Lord for all things, whether our circumstance seems favorable or unfavorable to us, we are already benefited spiritually when we turn to the Lord in thanksgiving, because we are acknowledging His sovereignty over our lives and by that very act we also surrender our circumstance to Him. Once we surrender our circumstance to Him, it is no longer our problem but His. Thus, we should no longer be anxious over the problem, perplexity, or a preoccupying-pain or agony.

Secondly, we can be grateful even during trials because the Lord has promised to work everything for our good (Rom 8:28). That means He has a good purpose for every experience we come across, whether it be pleasant or difficult. When we encounter a major problem stacked against our limited resources, it oftens sends us running to Him. However, it appears that we are less likely to turn to God immediately when we are faced with a smaller seemingly manageable problem we think we can handle on our own. Yet it behooves us to turn to Him in thanksgiving for evey circumstance, big or small, pleasant or painful, because we already know that God has in mind what's best for us. Furthermore, why risk prolonging the anguish or difficulty by grappling with our problems, when we have the greatest Resource in the universe at our disposal? First and foremost, we need to be thankful to the Lord that He has committed to work all things to our benefit. Being confident of God's good intentions in all things He has designed for us also renews our strength for facing difficult trials.

Thirdly, expressing gratefulness to God changes our attitude towards Him, other people in our surroundings, and our situations. Most people allow hurt and stress to form a pessimistic mindset, which negatively impacts every facet of their life from the physical to psychological and ultimately spiritual. I am certain that we have all experienced that it is very difficult to entertain a negative, pessimistic mindset when we are giving thanks to God or even to other people. Yet we are not talking about some positive thinking or some mind-bending exercise; rather, we are simply pointing out one of the natural outcome of being thankful to God, Who is deserving of all our praise and thanks. Moreover, when we demonstrate thankfulness in harsh circumstances, other people pay attention. Our coworkers, family, and friends will want for themselves the unperturbable peace we derive from a grateful relationship with our Lord. Thus, it is also a good witnessing opportunity when we give thanks to God for ALL things in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore whatever we may be experiencing today, we have every reason to defy all logic and give thanks to God!