Have you ever been anxious about your needs? You know, not having food. Clothes wearing out. No job, and thus not being able to provide for family and/or others and/or yourself. You cannot meet your obligations, especially the necessary ones. For example, rent and utilities. Or, you are not able to work for reasons outside of your control. All of these things do add up to make us anxious. It is and can be a frustrating experience.
For Christians, how are we to give thanks in such situations? Note, not give thanks for the situation, though we certainly can, but in the situation. Does that help? For me it does. Not because I am some spiritual "giant". Nope. Not even close. But, the difference is just one word. Instead of the word for, the word in is used and it changes everything. It changes our mindset. The situation is still real and it may persist but our attitude changes. Why? Because the thanksgiving is focused upward. It is focused on God, who in spite of the situation, does not change. Yes, that's right. God still remains God. He is not confused or weakened or changed by situations. He is still faithful and will continue to prove himself faithful. 2 Timothy 1:13a says that "God remains faithful even when we are faithless." Truth is that God cannot go back on His promises. Nor does He desire to go back on His promises. To do that He has to stop being God and that is impossible. God cannot stop being God. Thus, we are to give God thanks in everything, as Paul also commanded the Thessalonians (see 1 Thes 5:18). We have no reason or excuse that justifies our decision to withhold thanksgiving from God.
Yet, there are times when I do withhold thanksgiving. That's because my focus is on the situation and on myself. In those moments my thoughts, words and actions are sinful. Despair and doubts take over and then defeat follows. Paul said something in Romans 8 that I, we, often ignore or don't believe. He talked about life in the Spirit and what it means. We experience this life and its blessings because of God's everlasting love. In Romans 8:32 he asked a rhetorical question. Well, it is not only a rhetorical one but an adamant question too. It can also be read as an authoritative statement based on what he said before and after it. He asked, "..., how will He (God) not also with Him (Christ) graciously give us all things?" Wait a minute, what did he say immediately before that? He said, "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all ... ."Get it? If God could do such an outrageously incomparable thing graciously, why be anxious about our needs?
Here's a truth for us all to keep in mind: Do you know a failure to believe that God will meet our needs is also equivalent to doubting that His salvation through Christ is enough? In summary, it is unbelief, which is a sin. Isn't it? How can you trust in a god to provide your physical needs if he can't provide for your spiritual needs? Can you trust such a god to provide the lesser (physical needs) if he can't provide the greater (spiritual needs)? We have to reconcile the two. If he can provide for the lesser but not the greater then he's not God. If he can provide the greater but not the lesser then he's not God. Our God is the only god because He truly and fully provides both. He does so graciously and with the goal to perfect in us an authentic, passionate, and fruitful lifestyle that reflects His glory.
Can you clarify and expand on the point about doubting? Sure. The doubting of which I speak is not a momentary doubting. We experience those from time-to-time. Those moments happen when we forget about God's many promises and blessings. Instead, we focus on the situation and ourselves. Our minds and hearts are then blurred and distracted from the promises and blessings we have experienced. They are blurred and distracted from the many we do currently experience and will continue to experience. And those we will experience. The unbelief of which I speak is an attitude and lifestyle. If this is your experience, please ask Him (God) to help you believe in the saving and complete work of Christ. The Spirit of God will confirm that you are now His child.
So, do we have any reason to be anxious? No we don't. But, we choose to be. I know I do. We can't avoid anxieties, but we can decide how we deal with them. It's either my way or God's way. There's no in-between. Any other way but God's brings about greater anxieties and leads us further into sin. Jesus promised that God who feeds the birds and clothes the lilies will also take care of us (Mt. 6:19-34, Lk. 12:22-34). He said that God values us more than birds and lilies. Thus, He commands and encourages us to not be anxious about anything. Not even tomorrow. Hard? Yes. Impossible? No! Because, God, who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, has also graciously given us His Spirit and word.
Knowing and having all of these wonderful spiritual gifts from our heavenly Father, we can be confident that He will provide our daily needs as well. Paul encouraged and commanded the Philippians in a similar manner. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God (Phil 4:6)." Read what he said the result will be in verse 7. My dear friends, may we pray one for the other and encourage each other in the LORD. And, let us not be anxious about anything. Because our God who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, knows and will graciously provide all that we need.
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