Thank-You Therapy

In 1989, Don Baker wrote a book of the above title about the therapeutic effects of thankfulness. The Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians to "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (I Thes. 5:18). But let's be honest; for most of us thankfulness is not natural; we're 'complainers,' by nature. But the therapeutic effect of thankfulness is that it can help us transcend our circumstances.

Please note that Paul doesn’t ‘command’ us to give thanks FOR all circumstances, but IN all circumstances—which challenges us to find reasons to be thankful even in the worst times. Look at a very abbreviated list of David’s Psalms of “Thanksgiving." King David thanks God for His holiness (7:17), His works (9:1), His guidance (16:7), for hope and salvation, and the joy of His presence (16: 9-11).

When you find yourself in “hard-to-thank-you-God” circumstances, these Psalms can help you transcend your troubles. Paul reminds us we have a God who causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). Our circumstances may or may not change, but as we align ourselves with God's purposes, we transcend our circumstances. And that is the real therapeutic benefit of thankfulness.

God is Never in a Hurry

Being in Belize where the pace of life is slower, I wondered if God is more like a Belizean than a North American—at least where “time” is concerned. In regard to our prayer lives, I wonder if most of us have a hard time lining up with God's sense of time. We seem to pray most earnestly when in a state of crisis: and if God doesn’t respond with comparable immediacy, we panic. It’s so hard for us to slow down and wait.

So we pray like David: “In the day when I call, answer me speedily” (Psalm 102:2); or “I am in trouble: hear me speedily” (Psalm 69:17). The Hebrew word could be translated “right now, hurry up!” David was saying, “Lord, I put my trust in you—but please hurry." (Of course we know that David grew to trust God's timing as he matured in his walk with God.)

But God is in no hurry. Habakkuk was perplexed when God didn’t immediately answer his prayer of crisis: the Chaldean's were coming, and they were about to destroy Jerusalem. God’s answer: wait, the answer will come at just the right time. And so, Habakkuk relented, “I will wait for your answer” (2:1-4). The people who wait on the Lord, without wavering, demonstrate mature faith. They know there is an appointed time for everything. God is never late, never falls behind in His work, and is never in a hurry.

Are You Magnifying Your Problems, Magnifying Yourself, or Magnifying the Lord?

In the Old Testament, the word “magnify” is always used in regard to God, not humans. To magnify God means to make Him Bigger, or we could say to make Him the focus of our attention. Magnifying something means you look intently at it; you study it. When I experience a trial, I realize how quickly I focus on my problem, making it bigger than it really is. As I was reading Psalm 69 and 70 yesterday, I noticed the Psalmist uses the word “magnify” when he is experiencing a trial: “[when] I am afflicted and in pain, I shall magnify the Lord.”

When hard times come, we have a choice: we can magnify the problem or magnify the Lord. But there is another option that keeps appearing in the “think positive” messages of today’s prosperity teachers (read any of Joel Osteen’s Daily Devotional messages and you will see this trend). The message is to magnify yourself with “I am” messages: I am successful; I am wealthy, I am prosperous; I am wise, I am well-liked, etc.

These “I am” messages really make us to be equivalent to God. Jehovah means “I AM”, the Self-Existing One. I’ve often thought we should be careful about our “I am” statements, whether they are used in a negative way (I am a loser) or a positive way (I am great). Our “I am” statements must always be premised on the great “I AM.” It is only Christ’s life in me that makes me what “I am.” Because “He is,” I am. The next time you are tempted to magnify your problems. Magnify the Lord. “Greater (Bigger) is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”

Magnifying the Lord always puts things in their proper perspective!