Standing in line at the grocery store recently, I overheard two customers at the neighboring check stand commiserating about a current event. Their sour demeanors and dramatic overstatements were a sharp contrast to the festive holiday atmosphere in a store overflowing with Thanksgiving cheer. Walking to the car afterwards, I felt sad thinking about their cynicism and how it rippled out to affect the people nearby.
That brief interaction provides a snapshot of the negative atmosphere in our culture right now. Our nation is deeply divided and disillusioned following a rugged election year. The world is in turmoil resulting from multiple natural and manmade disasters. Compounding these issues, we’re being fed a steady dose of hyperbole and drama on newsfeeds and in the media that’s leading us to be more angry, anxious, and unhinged than ever. Many people seem incapable of seeing anything good or positive in the world around us.
And yet, in the midst of the complicated mess, followers of Jesus can remain thankful because our hope is not in human leaders or manmade institutions. Our hope isn’t in circumstances unfolding according to our desires. Our hope is in the living God who is sovereign over all things. Our gratitude for this truth can flow abundantly, no matter what’s happening to us personally or in the world at large.
One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Isaiah 40. It seems especially fitting this week as I reflect on thankfulness for the Lord and His sovereignty. So, read on and celebrate four reasons we can be thankful no matter what is happening in our world, nation, state, city, community, or home.
1) God has no equal. No earthly leader, no matter how wise or respected could ever compare to God. Likewise, no earthly leader, no matter how corrupt or evil, could ever thwart God’s plans. People who seem important or influential in this world may make a positive or negative impact for a limited time, but they will ultimately blow away like chaff in the wind.
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. ‘To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One.” (Isaiah 40:21-25 NIV)
2) God tends to the big picture and to the small details simultaneously. The Lord knows the stars by name and calls them out one by one. Nothing escapes His gaze. We can be deeply thankful that the God of infinite power and unlimited strength also notices the smallest detail.
“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26 NIV)
3) God’s wisdom surpasses ours. Even when we don’t understand what the Lord is allowing in this world, we know He is trustworthy. His understanding is beyond anything our miniscule minds could comprehend. He is everlasting and sees world events from a vantage point that has a much larger scope than anything we can see. This means we can be thankful even when God’s ways and purposes are hidden from us.
“Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God’? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” (Isaiah 40:27-28 NIV)
4) God renews our strength. No matter how weary and beaten down we become, we can always find refuge in Him. His strength is available and accessible to us whenever we seek it. Not only does the Lord renew and restore us, He enables us to soar like eagles so we can rise above even the most distressing situations.
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31 NIV)
This holiday season be intentional about expressing your gratitude to the Lord and sharing it with others. You’ll be a refreshing counterbalance to the many hurting, negative, and cynical people you encounter. Because no matter how ugly or distressing the events in the world are, we never have reason to despair when our trust and hope are in the living God.
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