Giving Thanks
“O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalm 107:1)
The Bible says to give thanks to God, for He is good. Ever wonder, though, how can God be good when people, especially kids, die from disease or mishaps that weren’t their fault, or people die from war or violent crime? It’s a question that has been asked often. The Bible itself contains stories of people who suffered from things that weren’t their fault. Why did God let Pharaoh throw all the babies into the river to drown or be eaten by crocodiles? Why did God let Herod kill little kids as he sought the young Jesus?
People in the Bible even asked God why He let things go on as He did. The writer of Psalm 94:3-7 said, “Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, the LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.”
Jeremiah the prophet once said to God, “Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?” (Jeremiah 12:1) He once even wanted to quit serving the Lord as a prophet: “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name.” (Jeremiah 20:9)
Job was “...perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” (Job 1:1) Yet he lost seven of his ten kids at one time. To lose one child is horrible. Job lost seven! His finances and his health were also ruined. His wife said, “Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.” (Job 2:9) Even she discouraged him! Yet Elihu, a young visitor, told him, “Although thou sayest that thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.” (Job 35:14)
When things go wrong, that’s the time to tell God how frustrated you are: “...pour out your heart before him:” (Psalm 62:8) Moses went to Pharaoh to have the Israelites freed. Pharaoh refused and even made their work harder. Even the Israelites were mad at him. Moses said to God, “Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.” (Exodus 5:22-23)
We can’t begin to know why God does what He does: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) Yet we know God loves us: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) God gave his Son Jesus for us because He loves us.
If you know Jesus as your personal Saviour, you can also be sure that even though God may allow trouble and grief in your life, He will also give you grace and comfort through it and even use you to help others: “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
We may not know in this life why God does what He does, but we will know in eternity, so we can still “…give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good:” and “...his mercy endureth [not just in life but] for ever.” To see how to have your sins forgiven and eternal life by receiving the Lord Jesus as your personal Saviour, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 11/27/2024