Thankfulness an act of the Will.
Page 1 of 2Thankfulness an act of the Will.
Habakkuk 3: 17 – 19; 1 Thessalonians 5: 4 – 23
Thankfulness is an act of the will not an emotion of the heart. We tend to see thankfulness as a response to something received. We are thankful when something good comes our way. For all of us most of the time and for some all of the time, we link thankfulness to something we have received from someone – a present, an invitation, a compliment or a good deed.
I am suggesting to you that thankfulness can be an act of the will. The spirit of thankfulness has more to do with a mindset than an emotion of gratitude. I will add a qualification to ‘thankfulness’ and call it a theological thankfulness. Thankfulness has more to do with the way we see things, than the way we receive things. If we see thankfulness as only to do with the reception of something, then we can only be thankful when we are receiving good things. If we see thankfulness as having something to do with God, then it will include giving as well as receiving.
My first discovery of theological thankfulness – the thankfulness God wants us to embrace – was when I was in my twenties. I had come upon these verses from 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 – 18: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I began to think about this concept of giving thanks in all situations. That means being thankful even when we are disappointed or overwhelmed. To be thankful when life is hard would be an act of the will. To give thanks when things seem to be going wrong in one’s life does not make sense. One naturally would not respond with thankfulness in the hard times and the dark moments of life. Our natural instinct is to give thanks when something good comes our way. That is what we have been told. The little child is instructed to say ‘thank you’ when they are given something. Therefore we grow up thinking that we only thank when we are receiving what is good. Paul’s injunction to give thanks in all situations contains a profound spiritual truth. Indeed Paul says that to do so is the will of God. Yes, the will of God! It is God’s will that we will ourselves to be thankful.
I remember when I first heard this text I came to see that my praying was all about me. It was like looking into a mirror where all I could see was myself and to a lesser extent the needs of others’. My prayers were largely about my world. My prayers tended to focus on what I wanted and how bad or ordinary life was. I began to realise that one step towards doing God’s will was to be thankful. I understood my praying to be like looking into a mirror and seeing myself and my world. I came to the realisation that prayer is not looking into the mirror of my world, but looking out the window into God’s garden. I came to realise that looking out the window and seeing God’s garden, so to speak, was a better way of seeing myself. That is, praising God actually gave me a better perspective on life. Not only did I gain inspiration by praising and thanking God, I gained perspective.
The Scriptures are full of references to theological thankfulness. Psalm 50, for example, reads – Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. And goes on to say; Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.
The Westminster Catechism was composed by 121 Puritan clergymen of the English and Scottish churches in 1647. Catechesis was the main method of teaching the faith. A series of statements were to be remembered. What is interesting is the focus of the first article of faith: What is the chief end of humankind? Humankind’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy God forever. [Ps 86:9; Isa 60:21; Rom 11:36; Ps 16:5-11, Is 12:2f; Lk 2: 10; Phil 4:4] The first thing a Christian learns is that their purpose is to praise and thank God and enjoy God. Isaiah expresses this truth in chapter 12: 2 -6:
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid,
for the LORD GOD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day:
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
The Uniting Church’s hymnbook, Together in Song, places the hymns in categories. The largest single category is the ‘praise and adoration’ category in the hymnal. Praise and thankfulness are an essential part of the Christian life.
Although there are ample reasons for thanking God such as being created in God’s image, loved unconditionally by God and all our resources and gifts being given by God, thankfulness remains an act of the will. Why?
Let me offer you some other reasons. First of all the notion that ‘thankfulness’ has to do with the will comes from the forerunners of the Faith. Paul, for example, encourages thankfulness in all situations mentioning that this is the will of God. Implicit in Paul’s encouragement is the notion that thankfulness is an act of the will. I decided to be thankful when I came upon this teaching. I have practised thankfulness, especially in my darkest moments, to my benefit.
The trap we face is that when we feel down or unhappy we enter a mind-space which becomes a downward spiral. We tend to lose perspective. We may get to a point of feeling overwhelmed by our situation. And all we can see is the sadness, loss, pain and negativity. Being thankful allows us space to breathe and see.
Giving thanks to God sets one free from the downward negative spiral. Thankfulness sets in motion a thankful spirit and feeling. This is more than a technique, it is a way of being. In times when I have felt down I have sought the help of the Psalms. Just open the Bible and find a psalm of praise and thanksgiving. They are easy to find because there are so many of them. Practising thankfulness helps us transcend the immediate world of our existence to the world God promises and wishes us to have. Thankfulness transcends the ordinary and lifts our eyes to the wider world.
Thankfulness to God makes us aware that we are not alone. So often a spirit of unhappiness is accompanied by a sense of being alone. Thankfulness to God heightens our spirits but also re-connects us to God and others, because we are looking beyond ourselves.
Thankfulness to God releases one from meaninglessness. Thankfulness leads us to see that in some way our situation is part of God’s grand plan that will be realised in the future.
Thankfulness to God can open our eyes to see new possibilities. Seeing the wider world in which we live, sensing we are not alone and being set free from the negative spiral helps us see new opportunities. So when the Scriptures invite us to be thankful, to glorify and praise God they speak of a great truth so simple in meaning yet so rich in effect.
I thank God for this truth. One of the members in this church gave me a precious gift before I went on leave. They gave me this text from Habakkuk 3: 17 – 19. It reminded me of this truth. They are the last three verses of the prophet’s little book. Habakkuk was given the ministry of bringing a word of judgement. The prophet’s words trumpet the evil of the people and the impending disaster that the Babylonians would wreak on Jerusalem. In time the words came true. Jerusalem was sacked, the Temple reduced to ruins and most of the people taken off into slavery in 587 BC. Habakkuk’s prophecy ends on this note.
Though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold
and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.
GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights.
To act in this way is to give birth to a positive life under God’s providence. Let us sing the Taizé song ‘In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful! In the Lord I will rejoice! Look to God, do not be afraid; lift up your voices, the Lord is near; lift up your voices, the Lord is near.’
*******
Peter C Whitaker, Leighmoor UC: 13/11/2016
/ www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au
Page 1 of 2
Sent from my iPad