Give Thanks. Even When?

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” —1 Chronicles 16:34

What if God never heals your sick child? What if God never mends that broken relationship? What if God never opens up that job opportunity you so desperately need? What if God never allows your wounded marriage to be restored or never fulfills that heart cry for a husband or wife to share your life with, and you remain single? What if that crop your family depends on for survival is flattened? What if God lets you go through life, having to count every single penny and having to pull those needed essentials back out of your cart and put them back on the shelf? What if God doesn’t cure that cancer? What if God doesn’t keep devastation from hitting your family, your home, your town, or even your country? What if? Will God still be good? Will His forever mercy be enough?

A worship song by Don Moen that our church family sings has a line that says, “For all You’ve given to me, for all the blessings that I cannot see, thank You, Lord.” It’s a very upbeat, joyful, and stirring song, but every time we sing it, I ask myself, “Do I really mean these words?” Would I still mean them … if? Even when? I’ve found it’s a whole lot easier to be thankful when all is hunky dory. It’s a whole other thing when things are really tough.

The words in today’s verse were spoken during the joyful event of the Ark being brought to Jerusalem from captivity and placed back into its rightful place in the Tabernacle. These very same words are repeated multiple times in the Old Testament—Psalm 10:1, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 118:1 and 29, Ps.136:1— and not just during corporate worship but when God restored the spiritual needs of the people of Israel. They were spoken during times of repentance and receiving forgiveness for sins, both individual and national. They were also cried out in the midst of great distress.

Job, the man known most to suffer, short of Christ’s suffering, didn’t speak these exact words. Still, his message was the same: “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10b). Out of a thankful heart, his life motto became, “Blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21b). In the New Testament, giving thanks is a common theme, one that is to be unconditional—not to be given “only when” or “only if” but given in and for all things. Wow! Is that ever hard to do sometimes?!

Give: In searching, I could not find a Hebrew word for “give” in our theme verse or any of the verses where these words are repeated. It seems that in these verses “give” and “thanks” go hand in hand, as though they are one and cannot exist without the other. In fact, the Hebrew word for “thanks,” among a number of meanings, means to hold out the hand, to physically throw away, to revere, and to worship. The description of the word doesn’t even imply a slowness or gentleness in the act. There’s intensity in it. It’s almost like it means to quickly hurl our total thanks in God’s direction, not keeping anything back for ourselves. Wow! Do I worship like that? Is my thankfulness that complete? Or do I hold back?

Good: In giving us the command to give thanks to Him, God tells us why: because He is good. Included in the meaning of the word “good” is “better” or “best.” He is far better than anything we could desire to acquire or try to hang on to. When we begin to see that, it’s a little easier to give thanks more freely in the midst of loss or in the absence of “so-called good things.”

Endures: God follows up His command for us to give thanks with His unconditional promise that His mercy endures forever. It leaves absolutely no doubt that God’s mercy, His kindness, His pity upon us never ever end. So, if we find ourselves with everything stripped away, His goodness and His promise of never-ending mercy alone are enough to warrant us hurling our unreserved thanks toward Him with all we have. It’s here we find that He is all we need—and it makes the joyful and plentiful times all that much sweeter.

Oh, God! Grow my faith! Cultivate in me a deepening trust. Help me see that Your goodness and Your mercy alone will be enough when all else might be stripped away. Help me to see more clearly that my thanksgiving to You is not to be based on what You give but on who You are. You are good, and You are merciful—forever. I love You, Lord!

I come before You today
And there’s just one thing that I want to say
Thank You, Lord,
Thank You, Lord

With a grateful heart
With a song of praise
With an outstretched arm
I will bless Your name
(Don Moen)

In Him,
Donna Perkins

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

 Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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