Need Provider || Thankfulness || Part 2

I’m thankful you’re here. I’m thankful you’re reading this. I’m thankful you’ve checked out this blog. I’m thankful you’re joining us for our new blog series on thankfulness.

We’re in a five-part series called “Thankfulness” to prepare us for the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas so that we can enter them with a mindset of gratitude. This series talks about different things we can be thankful for God. In Part 1, we looked at how we can be thankful that God answers our prayers. God knows what we’re going to pray about before we even say it, and we know that God will respond to them by either affirming what we ask or guiding us toward his plan for us.

In Part 2, we’ll discuss how God is our ultimate provider. We’ll learn how God will provide for all our needs in various ways. Our study today starts us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, which says:

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

NASB	NLT	VOICE
16 Rejoice always,	17 Never stop praying.	16 Celebrate always,
17 pray without ceasing,		17 pray constantly, and
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.	18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.	18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

NOTE: I’ve included verse 16 in the NASB and VOICE translations because verse 17 continues that thought.

The idea is that we should never stop praying. This doesn’t mean we have to spend all our time in a prayer posture, at the church or our prayer closet, because that’s impossible. However, we can always keep a prayerful posture. This attitude acknowledges our dependence on him. We realize his presence within us and are determined to obey him fully. When we develop this attitude, we will find it natural to pray frequent, spontaneous, short prayers. God provides us everything we need, and when we stay in our posture of prayer, we’ll find ourselves asking God for the various things life tells us we need. It doesn’t mean we will immediately hear, see, or find God’s answers and responses. Still, the posture of prayer consistently will show us how dedicated we are to following God. Regular times of prayer will lead to God’s transformation in our lives. We should still have regular moments of prayers, but the frequency should still increase regardless.

Paul says not to stop praying. God always hears and responds to us. He is powerful and has a plan designed for us. As I mentioned, sometimes it’s a direct yes or no, but more times than not, it’s a wait. It’s a “not yet” or a “not now.” Prayer and waiting humbles us and, bluntly said, forces us to wait. Paul wasn’t teaching that we should thank God for everything THAT happens to us but IN everything that happens to us. Evil things don’t come from God, so don’t thank him for us. When evil strikes, we can find thankfulness for his presence and the good that will come out of it. Notice the difference. Paul isn’t saying to thank God for the things that result from what happens to us but for all things in the process. As we said, we don’t have to thank him for the bad things that happened to us, but we can thank him for what he will do during those bad things and how he navigated us through it.

Paul simplifies this in Ephesians 5:20, which says:

Ephesians 5:20

NASB	NLT	VOICE
18 And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord;		19 When you are filled with the Spirit, you are empowered to speak to each other in the soulful words of pious songs, hymns, and spiritual songs; to sing and make music with your hearts attuned to God;
20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father;	20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ	20 and to give thanks to God the Father every day through the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed for all He has done.

You may struggle to give thanks when you feel like life has worn you down. Take heart and thank God. Take heart in all things. God works for our good if we love him and are called according to his purpose. Thank God, not for the problems, but for the strength he builds in you through the difficult experiences. Thanking him may feel fake, but the more we get into the routine, our routine will grow. You can be sure that God’s perfect love will see you through any difficult part of life.

This raises a common question: “Why would God allow bad things to happen?” God doesn’t. Bad things happen for a variety of reasons. It could be the evil forces of the world at work, the poor decisions of others around us, the consequences of our decisions, or just situational happenstance. If God only permitted good things to happen, how would we know it’s good? We only know that it’s good because we know what is bad. If we didn’t know the bad, how would we know if something is good? With God, we can find good in all things and thank him for the ability to find that good when all things seem hopeless.

Let’s continue this thought with 1 Timothy 4:4-5, which says:

1 Timothy 4:4-5

NASB	NLT	VOICE
4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;	4 Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it, but receive it with thanks.	4 For everything God made is good. That means nothing should be rejected as long as it’s received with a grateful heart,
5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.	5 For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.	5 for by God’s word and prayer, it is made holy.

Refuting the teachings of the false teachers, Paul affirms that everything God created is good. We need to ask God’s blessing on his created gifts that give pleasure and thank him for them. This doesn’t mean we abuse what God’s made. We use these things and enjoy them to serve others and honor God. Take time today to thank God for the gifts he’s given.

God’s gifts are unique to each person and have unique abilities for each person who receives them. We need to ask God’s blessing to allow us to use them for his glory and the benefit of those around us. Otherwise, we may just be using them for our own gain, which can lead to egotistical and prideful results. It doesn’t mean that we can utilize them for ourselves. Still, our own learnings should benefit our community, not just ourselves.

I leave you with these words from Genesis 1:31. God saw his creation and called it very good, not just good. You’re a part of that very good creation. God is happy with you and how he created you. If you feel worthless or of little value, remember that God created you for a reason. God will give you everything you need. He created you and everything else and knows everything you need to fulfill the creation plan he has for you.

We’ll be back with Part 3 and talk about how we can be thankful for God’s blessings. Now, Genesis 1:31 says:

Genesis 1:31

NASB	NLT	VOICE
31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.	31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.	31 Then God surveyed He had made, savoring its beauty and appreciating its goodness. Evening gave way to morning. That was day six.