Choose to be thankful

    While yesterday I was feeling anxious and a bit stressed, today I found myself feeling unusually thankful. I found myself actually thanking God for a number of things one after the next. During the course of the day, God allowed me to see and to be reminded that He was in control, that He saw everything I was going through and that He cared. I watched Him remove the stress as He showed me that I did not have to worry. He was working things out more than I realised. Interestingly, the day before, He told me very clearly through someone to not be afraid. In short, He was working it all out although I could not see it at the time. He had my back and He has me!
    I am reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 which says, “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Simply put, no matter what we may be facing, we need to choose to have an attitude of thanks to God. We need to trust that in any and every situation, God will deliver, God will rescue, God will sustain us. He will bring good out of any situation and knows how to use both the good and bad in our lives to bring about something good for us. We may not always feel thankful, but it is important to choose to be thankful no matter how we might feel.
    I am reminded of the story of Daniel in the Old Testament (Daniel 6). King Darius placed various leaders over his kingdom to help him rule. Daniel, a Hebrew, was one of them. Daniel, however, had such a spirit of excellence on him, that the king desired to make him ruler over the entire kingdom. In their jealousy, the other rulers tricked the king into signing a decree that anyone who prayed to any other god or man but the king, within a thirty day period, should be thrown into the lions’ den.
Interestingly, when Daniel heard about the decree, he chose to go to his room where he prayed and gave thanks to his God three times a day as he was accustomed to doing (v.10). He knew he could be thrown into the lions’ den if he was found out. Yet, he went to his room, and with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he prayed and thanked his God. 
    It is easy to be thankful when circumstances are favourable, when we are not faced with challenges. But when we are in the midst of trials, that’s the best time to give thanks to God. Choosing to praise and give God thanks not only changes us but it has a way of turning negative situations around as well. Daniel was of course caught and thrown into the lions’ den. But God was faithful and prevented the lions from harming him. His choice to continue giving thanks to his God, even when he knew he could be killed for it, brought about a miraculous deliverance for him. As if that was not enough, the king gave an order throughout his kingdom that the God of Daniel should be honoured. 
    Having a heart and attitude of thanksgiving towards God is more powerful than you can imagine. God sees and knows what we are going through, but I believe that He appreciates when we make an effort to be thankful even when it is difficult and the situation is not ideal. At the end of the day, God not only answers prayer but He responds favourably to the choice to be thankful in difficult circumstances.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. Choosing to thank God when it is difficult, can change circumstances, turn situations around and bring favour in impossible situations. 
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