We Must Give Thanks

A few weeks ago, I was struck by this well-known verse in James:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17)

If it is good, it is from God. If it is perfect, it is from God. What other source of good and perfect gifts could there be except the only one who is good? (Mark 10:18) To consider the extravagant magnitude of the category “good and perfect gifts” in our lives, ponder for a moment: If God suddenly stopped doing everything he regularly does for us, and I mean everything, what would we have remaining in our lives? Answer: not much. And by not much, I mean we would not even exist.

Here is a sampling of his good gifts:

He sends the rain and fruitful seasons which brings food and gladness (Acts 14:17); he gives wisdom (James 1:5: 3:15-17, Proverbs 2:6); he gives insight we could not otherwise have (Gen 4:16); he gives us life and breath and everything (Acts 17:25); he gives us ability and skill (Exodus 31:3-6), he gives us our limitations (Exodus 4:11-12); he gives us our strengths (1 Cor 15:10); he gives a boundary to the sea (Psalm 104:9); he gives water for the beasts (Psalm 104:10-11); he gives grass for livestock and plants for man to cultivate (Psalm 104:14); he gives food to the birds (Matthew 6:26); he gives the beauty of flowers to clothe the grass (Matthew 6:30); he gives us his Son (John 3:16); he gives us his Spirit (Galatians 3:5, Luke 11:13); he gives us himself (Revelation 21:7); he gives us everything (John 3:27, Romans 8:32); he gives us gifts through other believers (Rom 12:6, 1Cor 12:11, 1Pet 4:10-11); he gives us eternal life (Romans 6:23, 1 John 5:11-12); he gives us mercy (Romans 11:30); he gives us his grace and salvation (Eph 2:8); he gives us our sufferings (Philippians 1:29); he gives us the world in which we live now (Hebrews 1:3); he gives us the world in which we will live later (Matthew 5:5); he gives us each day of our life (139:16); he gives us protection day and night (Psalm 121:5-8); he gives us favor, honor, and every good thing (Psalm 84:11); he gives us understanding of the things he has given us (1 Cor 2:12); he gives us all things—the world, life, death, the present, and the future (1 Cor 3:21).

Giving thanks ought to be woven through the entirety of our lives. There are no moments, nor are there circumstances, when it is not appropriate to give thanks. “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess 5:18). We are to give “thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). Even our moments of trial in all their varieties are to compel us to rejoice. Our sufferings are designed by our God to strengthen the very faith that unites us to him (James 1:2-3; Rom 5:3-5).

When we fail to give thanks, a vacuum is left that quickly sucks in more natural responses to our life: grumbling, complaining, selfish expectations, worry, and fear. However, when our minds are fixed on things above and we remember the sheer grace that pervades our life, then we are poised to return thanksgiving to the one from whom all blessings flow.