Month: November 2020

No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

No matter what happens?!  Are you sure, God?  Have you seen what’s happened?  Do you know about ______?  And you expect me to be thankful?

Yes, yes, and again yes.  

Yes God has seen what’s happened.  He is the God who sees (Genesis 16:13).  But He isn’t just watching indifferently.  He is moved by our plight.  “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people… I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.  I have come down to rescue them” (Exodus 3:7-8).

Yes, God knows about whatever it is that has come against you.  He knows all about suffering and opposition and heartbreak.  He is the Man of Sorrows, no stranger to the bitterest grief (Isaiah 53:3).  He has faced every type of trouble that we might ever face, so He is able to fully understand our weakness and struggles (Hebrews 4:15).

And yes, God’s will is that you would be full of thanks.  Not about the circumstances, trial, or opposition that you’re facing.  But full of thanks because He does see, He does know, and His heart and will towards you is to strengthen you, to help you, to rescue you (2 Chronicles 16:9; Isaiah 43:3).  His desire and intentions for you are to bring good out of disaster, beauty out of ashes (Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 61:3).  He has moved heaven and earth to right the wrong that has been done to you (Acts 3:21).  

Trouble and trial will be part of our experience as long as we live in a world gone wrong.  But we can give thanks in spite of all of it because we have Someone to turn to in whom we can find mercy, grace, help, hope, rescue.  He has demonstrated the lengths He will go to on our behalf through the death of Christ Jesus on the Cross in our place.  And He has also demonstrated the power He has over our most desperate circumstances through the resurrection of Christ Jesus.  This is our God – abounding in unfailing love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6) and an ever present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).

Give thanks to the Lord and bless his name.  For the Lord is good.  His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.  Psalm 100:3-4

We have a full house, so when our oldest left for college, we stretched out a little bit.  But she’ll be home soon, and we want her to know that this is still her home.  So we’ve been getting ready, planning, cleaning, rearranging, buying a few things, all with the view of making her arrival more welcome, her stay more comfortable.  It’s been a lot more work than I anticipated, but we can’t wait to have her with us again.

All this preparation reminds me of Jesus’ words to the disciples as they neared Jerusalem for the last time – “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:2-3).  Among the many things Jesus is doing right now, He’s preparing a place for you and me, a welcome home.  

I don’t know what the work looks like on the Heaven side, but on the earth side, I’m certain there’s a lot of work going on inside of me.  Some things need cleaning up, others need to be put in their proper place.  The Lord is getting rid of anything there’s no room for in a heaven-oriented life, and outfitting me with whatever will be needed in the days to come.  

The Lord isn’t doing all this so that we’ll look good, or so that He’ll look good. It’s so that we will be good – holy, like He is, so that we can be where He is (Hebrews 12:14; Psalm 5:4).  Then there will be no shame or shortcoming on my part (Matthew 22:12).  There will be no condemnation or discomfort on His part (Romans 8:1; Ephesians 3:17).  

He desires our coming, our arrival pleases Him. We are welcome.

“Father, I want those whom you have given me to be with me where I am.” John 17:24