Two Little Words That Trip Us Up When Giving Thanks
Sharon Stuart-Reidenbach
In and for: Two little words that reshaped my prayer of
thanks(giving). Discovering the power of these two-one syllable words
clarified my quandary of: “How can we ‘thank’ God for losing a child,
job or health?” For years I’ve struggled with people who say these things.
My quandary began to lift through a well-known Old
Testament lesson. Picture with me the following. A God-fearing,
up-standing man in the community had possessions so vast he was the
greatest of all people in the East. And he had a large family
consisting of seven sons and three daughters. But at the pinnacle of
his life, tragedy strikes taking all he owns, his family and his
health.
His response? He tore his robe, cried, shaved his head and
fell to the ground and—worshiped. Surprised? The difference between
Job’s response and those who pretend to give lip service in the middle
of overwhelming anguish is how the response is directed. Job laments
in Job 1: 22-26 – a, b (NKJV), “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken
away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Paul begins explaining why this response is correct by introducing our
first word—in—with I Thessalonians 5:18, “. . . in everything
[hardships, challenging circumstances] give thanks for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Paul tells how a Christian is to
give thanks in every circumstance that God still reigns, but not to
thank Him for the suffering. When Job lost everything he never said,
“thank you God for taking all that I have.” Rather he blessed the name
of God in spite of his personal afflictions.
Then Ephesians 5:20 is a good example on how to use our second
word—for—; “ . . . giving thanks always for all things to God the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus” Here the word for is directive
towards objects—not problems.
How encouraging and uplifting it is to understand how
to differentiate the use of our two little functional words. It frees
us to commune honestly with our Lord and with ourselves. Job ranted
and raved and tore his clothes; Jesus wept for his friend Lazarus when
he died, and we can pull our hair out with grief. It’s okay. God, in
His indescribable wisdom, knew our frailty with sorrow. Consequently,
one of the tools He provided on how to begin to prepare for these
trials comes from Colossians 3:2; “Set your mind on things above, not
on things of earth.” Then we are ready to give Him thanks for the
things He bestows upon us and capable to worship in spit of the hard
times. Like Job, our faith will strengthen and grow, as we trust our
Father who is greater than any calamity we will ever face. Praise His
Name! And Happy Thanksgiving.
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