Thanksgiving Every DayNäide

“Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this, did not Job sin with his lips?”

Job 2:9–10

Years ago, I heard a wonderful story from the mission field. A pastor who was visiting India during a harvest festival told of an elderly widow who brought a very large offering of rice—a great deal more than she could afford to give. The visiting pastor confirmed with the leaders of the church that she was impoverished. He asked her about the meaning of her offering. “My son was sick and I promised a large gift to God if he got well,” she replied. “And your son recovered?” he asked. “No,” she said, “He died last week. But I know that he is in God’s care, and for that I am especially thankful.”

People sometimes say, “God has been good to me lately” when things are going well, but in truth, God is good to us all the time. He is just as faithful and loving and kind when we are sick as He is when we are well. He is just as gracious and giving when we are struggling to make ends meet as He is when we have extra money in the bank. God’s goodness is not seen in our comfort or our material abundance, but in the extraordinary grace that He freely bestows on us day after day. The Apostle John put it this way, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not”. (1 John 3:1). Since nothing can change our standing in His family, we always have reason to give thanks.

If your praise is determined by your circumstances, your focus is in the wrong place. But if your praise is determined by God's consistency, you will always have reason to praise Him.