Showing Thankfulness
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
1 2 Our and Ruler, your name is wonderful everywhere on earth! You let your glory be seen in the heavens above. 3 With praises from children and from tiny infants, you have built a fortress. It makes your enemies silent, and all who turn against you are left speechless. 4 I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place. 5 Then I ask, “Why do you care about us humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings?” 6 You made us a little lower than you yourself, and you have crowned us with glory and honor. 7 You let us rule everything your hands have made. And you put all of it under our power— 8 the sheep and the cattle, and every wild animal, 9 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and all ocean creatures.
Psalm 8:1-9
Memory Verse
1 Thessalonians 5:18
18 Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.
Have you read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? He wakes up with gum in his hair. The dentist discovers that he has a cavity. And he has to eat lima beans for supper. Picture all that and ask yourself, “Could I be thankful to God even during a day as bad as that?”
The Apostle Paul was put in prison for preaching about Jesus. From prison, he wrote about the difficulties of being in chains, but he also talked about the importance of giving “thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Paul’s days were likely much worse than Alexander’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Yet even from prison, Paul gives thanks to God. Why? Paul knows that his loving God is helping him through the hard times and he knows that God has a plan for him, which gives him hope.
Giving thanks when bad things happen is hard. But it’s not about thanking God for the gum in your hair, the cavity in your tooth, or the lima beans on your plate. It’s about thanking God for being with you, even when things are hard. So, next time you’re having a difficult day, close your eyes, and remember God. Remember he loves you, and is with you, and will bring you through even the worst of days.
Prayer
Heavenly father, thank you for being with me, even when I am having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Thank you for the good days. Help me to find the good things in every day and praise your name, even when it’s hard. Amen.Related Resources
Ron VandenBurg
Senior Producer of Children’s Ministry at ReFrame Ministries
Ron VandenBurg joined the ReFrame Ministries team in 2014. He plans and develops projects specifically for the spiritual formation of children. Before coming to ReFrame, Ron taught middle-school for 27 years. Ron completed a M. Ed. degree in Teaching, Learning and Development at Brock University. Ron and Rachel have three fantastic adult children and one grandchild and reside in Ontario.