Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, not because of the food or the football, but because it captures the essence of the Christian life. It began because of the diligent efforts of a young widow with five small children—Sarah Hale.  Though her life was understandably difficult, she petitioned five US presidents to proclaim a national day of thanksgiving because she realized the many blessings that had been bestowed upon her and the nation. Her last attempt, to Abraham Lincoln, was finally successful. On October 3, 1863, Lincoln proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as a National Day of Thanksgiving. 

What I find so compelling about Mrs. Hale’s lobbying and then the time at which Lincoln made the proclamation are the circumstances surrounding them. She was married a mere nine years and then was left with five children to raise alone. And Lincoln was in the midst of a ghastly civil war where hundreds of thousands of men were dying and many more injured. Typically, we are most thankful when times are good, but both Hale and Lincoln became focused on thanksgiving when both of their lives were in tremendous turmoil.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Thessalonica that they should, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (I Thessalonians 5:16-18) All circumstances. Hale and Lincoln understood this and took it to heart. They saw the importance of being thankful, of recognizing God’s grace even when life is terribly difficult.

Paul not only wrote these words, but he also lived them. When he and Silas were in Philippi, they were arrested, beaten, and placed in a jail cell where they were chained. Luke writes that,

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (Acts 16:25-30)

This account reveals how Paul’s and Silas’ attitude of thanksgiving in the midst of suffering impacted those around them—both their fellow prisoners and their jailer. The prisoners were listening to the disciples sing hymns to God. No doubt the jailer was as well. And then when the earthquake suddenly happened and the jailer feared that all the prisoners would escape, the jailer was ready to take his own life. (Guards of prisoners would be executed if any prisoners escaped.) But when he realized that none had left their cells (perhaps at Paul’s urging?), he was undone. I believe the combination of the hymn singing in their condition and the fact they did not seek to escape led the man’s eyes and heart to be opened.

There is something about being thankful that keeps our hearts malleable. We are prone to hardheartedness and negativity. It is easy to complain; it is much more difficult to be thankful. Thus, if we are not careful, our hearts can grow hard, even calcify, if we overflow with criticism rather than thanksgiving. Looking at Paul’s ministry, we see how important it was for him to maintain an attitude of thanksgiving. Given how he was so often treated, if he had allowed an attitude of anger and bitterness to consume him, his ministry would have been ineffective. 

This is why each of us needs to be thankful not just on one day of the year, but every day, regardless of the circumstances. Our ministries in the name of Jesus are at stake. People watch those of us to claim to be followers of Jesus, just as the jailer and the other Philippian prisoners observed Paul and Silas. It was their thankful attitudes that got the others’ attention.

We live in such tumultuous times. People are angry and many are bitter about life. If we have similar attitudes, what witness do we have? We can be thankful daily, not because of our life circumstances, but because of the hope we have in Jesus, who has promised us an inheritance in his kingdom as his children. Our present circumstances have no impact on that, as Paul impressed upon the believers in Corinth,

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (II Corinthians 4:16-18)

So, let us be thankful for all the blessings the Lord has bestowed on us, not just this Thursday, but every day. Yet, even if life is terribly difficult right now, we can still be thankful because our present circumstances do not change the Lord’s eternal promises.

 © Jim Musser 2021