“. . . give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV)
True thanksgiving knows no season or circumstance.
There is a small, but helpfully significant, difference between giving thanks in all circumstances; and giving thanks for all circumstances.
There are situations and circumstances for which you and I should never be thankful: War, disease, marital discord, gross economic inequality, the persistence of evil. . . Yet, even in such circumstances, the disciple of Jesus is encouraged to be thankful — and it baffles the watching world.
In war, we know the Prince of Peace. In sickness, we are attended by the Great Physician. He makes reconciliation possible; and through your and my obedience, he feeds the poor, comforts the afflicted, visits the sick and the incarcerated, and clothes the naked. Evil may — for a time — persist; but evil shall never prevail!
Such an attitude makes giving thanks in all circumstances more than a theoretical possibility; it becomes the disciple’s reality! – Luther
Daily Encouragement 