How Can I Be Thankful For Bad Things?
1 Thessalonians 5:18 instructs us, “In everything give thanks for this is the will of the Father in Christ Jesus concerning you.” We struggle with this verse because “everything” includes bad things. Why would our loving Heavenly Father tell us to be thankful or even allow bad things to happen to His believing children?
God is encouraging us to shift our perspective. Instead of focusing on the negative, we are to look for the lessons, growth, and even the hidden blessings in every situation.
God uses these bad things for eternally significant reasons. When Joseph, innocent of wrongdoing, was sold into slavery by his brothers, was wrongly placed into prison, and finally came through his thirteen years of suffering, He was finally able to see God’s good plan in it all. God wants us to realize that He wants to use each of His children in Genesis 50:20 ways for His salvation purposes. Genesis 50:20 “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”
These bad things equip believers to help others through difficult situations. Those with battle scars can better help those going through battles.
2 Corinthians 1:3–5 “Praise be to . . . the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”
Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Worse things happened to the Son of God. Jesus was the only truly Righteous One, yet He suffered more than we can imagine. We follow in His footsteps. Jesus is no stranger to our pain.1 Peter 2:20–23 “If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.”
These make us more Christlike. God is good and His purposes for our lives, even in the difficult parts, are for our good. His ultimate goal is for us to become like Christ in our speech and actions. He has prepared works for us to do, all in line with His greater plans and purposes for the world. The trials and the temptations we face serve to shape us into people who are made in the image of Christ to accomplish His purposes. Romans 8:28-29 “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
These develop our character. There is a saying that hard things only serve to make us stronger. And that’s true. God often uses the trials and temptations we face to change us. He has a vision of what He wants us to be. And sometimes the person He wants us to be can only be formed through the difficult situations that come into our lives. Romans 5:3-5 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
These discipline us. There are times when our own actions and attitudes are not in alignment with God’s will and commandments. We often go astray, allowing pride to rear its head, or forgetting to be kind to others. Sometimes God allows difficulties to arise because He wants to correct our hearts and souls to remind us of the need to walk in obedience to Him. Hebrews 12:5-6 “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives.”
These test our faith. God sometimes allows trials in our lives because He wants to test our faith for us to see if we are truly willing to follow Him no matter the cost. Though they can be indescribably difficult, we can stand firm and know that it will not last forever and that with His help, we can make it through. James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
These help us grow in our faith. When life is easy, it can be easy to become stagnant in our faith rather than growing and flourishing. Hardships are used by God to get us out of our state of complacency and prompt us to grow up in the faith. 1 Peter 5:10 “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
These help us to trust God alone. There are times when we simply do not have all the answers, and the pain we feel from the difficult times in our lives does not make sense at all. We can be sure that even when it doesn’t make sense to us, it does fit in God’s perfect plans and purposes. Our job is to trust Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths”.
THANK YOU, HEAVENLY FATHER, FOR EVERYTHING, EVEN THOSE THINGS THAT WE SEE AS BAD.
