Faith Filled Family Magazine November 2016 | Page 41

BY JOHN LYSAULT

L

ife can be hard. There
is no doubt there have
been and will be hard
times for a number
of reasons on this side of eternity. The Bible states in John
16:33 that we will face tribulations, yet there is hope because
Christ overcame the world. This
doesn’t it make things easier
when believers are faced with trials and tribulations, does it? The
Bible says to be thankful and to
give thanks to God at all times,
in all circumstances (1Th, 5:18).
This is hard too. When something happens in life seemingly
without an end, and no bottom to
land on, how is thankfulness to
God possible? When a spouse
of many years up and walks
out on their spouse and kids,
what thanks is there? When fil-

ing bankruptcy after a job is lost
seems like the only option, how
does thanking God help? When
a disease or illness debilitates
a loved one, give thanks-why?
God addresses these questions
of thankfulness in the Bible, so
there is assurance He knows the
pain and suffering His children
face and has provided guidance
and direction to overcome the
trying times in life.
When incidents are faced in life
where giving thanks seems to be
the last thing on the list of to-do’s
is when there is a need to move
thanksgiving to the top of the list.
By turning to God first, there is
assurance He is with His children. By not turning to God first,
the world is the safety net for
reliance for overcoming. When
the world is relied upon to solve
problems, how does it work out?