A few years ago, one of my caregivers bought me a large coffee mug that I love. This Bible verse is painted on it; “In everything give thanks.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) I don’t usually question scripture, but when I first read it i thought, ‘Everything? Really?” Then I realized that it doesn’t say FOR everything give thanks, it says IN everything. There are things we encounter in life that we could never be thankful for; but in every situation there is always something for which to give thanks.
When we concentrate on those good things, it keeps us from griping about the bad things. God wants us to come to Him for help, but He does not like griping or complaining. The story in Exodus of Moses leading the Jewish nation out of bondage in Egypt is a great illustration. They were trapped at the Red Sea with the Egyptian army closing in to recapture them. God parted the sea so they could walk right through it and then closed it on their enemies. Having witnessed such a miracle you would think they would be praising God the rest of their life. Instead, they immediately began to complain about the wilderness they were traveling through. They complained there was no water and God provided a spring of water from a rock. They complained about being hungry, so God provided manna for them to eat daily. They complained about the manna and God gave them birds to eat. The more they complained, the more God led them in circles in the wilderness. They didn’t seem to appreciate anything God had done for them. Their ungratefulness and griping kept them from entering the Promised Land.
I used to think they were lost while in the wilderness, but Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, knew exactly where they were and he brought Moses’ wife to him and stayed for a brief visit. That large group of people would be hard to miss, even in the wilderness.
What lesson can we learn from that Bible account? We need to continually thank God for our blessings and depend on Him to handle the problems we encounter. The closer we get to Him, the sooner he will lead us through our wilderness experiences into the place He has for us. If the Jews had kept their attention on God and all that He did for them, they would have marched right through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. He will do that for us if we concentrate on His blessings instead of our current situation. It all goes back to what I have written before; count your blessings, not your trials.