Sometimes life burns.
Kids wander, husbands don’t understand, political climate at work is tenuous at best, there are test results that may change the course of your life forever.
The unknown future looms large and dark and uncertain. Fear and worry feed on the dark things rolling around in your head. Everything feels hot and heavy and dark.
How do we give thanks in the midst of the fire?
We look for moments of beauty in the fire and through the fire.
We train our eyes to acknowledge the mess and admit we don’t have all the answers, and we rest in a God who is faithful and trustworthy.
Ann Voskamp says it like this:
We won’t stop believing that “God is good” is not some trite quip for the good days but a radical defiant cry for the terrible days.
When we give thanks in the heat of the fire we are not proclaiming our strength nor that all is well with the world. On the contrary, we are shouting to a hurting world and into our own pain that God is good. We are trusting Him to never waste our pain. We stand with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shouting truth to a raging king (Daniel 3), we identify with Jesus who endured the cross by looking for the joy before Him (Hebrews 12:2), we remember with the Psalmist that joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).
So, we stand defiant in strength not our own with eyes trained to see God’s hand moving even in the darkest and hottest of places.
There we say Thanks.
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV
What have you given thanks for in the midst of dark and troubling times?
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