What Heroes of the Faith Have Said About Gratefulness

  The Lord has really been working in my heart concerning this area of gratitude.  In I Thessalonians 5:18 we are told to give thanks in everything.  

  In recent months I have been facing the frustration of waiting for direction and answers to several big decisions, and honestly it can be exhausting and discouraging to live in the realm of uncertainty.  Through it all, however,  I have been reminded to choose to give thanks.  I have not mastered this, but I can say it is an area where I feel the Lord is pruning my heart attitudes and gently reminding me to choose to have a grateful heart.  When I am feeling anxious, it is an opportunity to choose once again to trust the loving heart of my Father and embrace gratitude for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me.  

  For this post I thought it would be encouraging to look at what strong men and women of the faith have had to say on this topic of cultivating gratitude and thankfulness.  I am going to start with sharing from Joni Erickson Tada, a lady who is well acquainted with suffering.  If you have not heard, she recently received a second cancer diagnosis and will be undergoing surgery soon.  You can read about it through this link: https://www.joniandfriends.org/blog/new-cancer-diagnosis/  Here are a few things that Joni shared:

“When I received the unexpected news of cancer from my oncological surgeon, I relaxed and smiled, knowing that my sovereign God loves me dearly and holds me tightly in His hands. What good is it if we only trust the Lord when we understand His ways? That only guarantees a life filled with doubts.”

“Jesus is ecstasy beyond compare and if new hardships draw us closer to Him, I'm more than content with it.” —Joni Eareckson Tada

  That, my friends, is the perspective of a lady who has cooperated with the Refiner's Fire in her life.  That kind of faith and trust has come out of over fifty-one years of suffering and knowing first hand the faithfulness of the Savior.  That kind of wisdom is rare and beautiful.  Please join me in praying for Joni as she battles cancer for a second time.  

  As I was growing up I remember my Daddy having a set of Charles Spurgeon books on his shelves. Back then I was drawn to the pretty pastel covers on these hardback books, but in recent years I have learned what great wisdom is contained in the writings of Spurgeon.  I truly love and appreciate his writings and his beautiful way of showing us the beauty and magnitude of the Savior with the only reasonable response, out of believers, being to follow and obey our Lord Jesus Christ.  Here is what Spurgeon said about gratitude:

"He who would serve God must begin by praising God, for a grateful heart is the mainspring of obedience. We must offer the salt of gratitude with the sacrifice of obedience; our lives should be anointed with the precious oil of thankfulness. As soldiers march to music, so while we walk in the paths of righteousness we should keep step to the notes of thanksgiving. Larks sing as they mount, so should we magnify the Lord for his mercies while we are winging our way to heaven."

  When I was a little girl my Sunday school teacher taught through a flannelgraph series on the life of Amy Carmichael, and ever since I have been challenged by her example and seen her as a hero of the faith.  Here is something she said about trusting that Lord is working through every circumstance in our lives:

"All the paths of the Lord are loving and faithful" Psalm 25:10 I have pondered this verse lately, and have found that it feeds my spirit. All does not mean "all - except the paths I am walking in now," or "nearly all - except this especially difficult and painful path." All must mean all. So, your path with its unexplained sorrow or turmoil, and mine with its sharp flints and briers - and both our paths, with their unexplained perplexity, their sheer mystery - they are His paths, on which he will show himself loving and faithful. Nothing else; nothing less."

- Amy Carmichael

If you know me very well then you probably know that I also greatly appreciate the life of Elisabeth Elliot.  Here is a hugely convicting quote from her on choosing gratitude:

 

  

It is uplifting to read what great men and women of the faith have had to say about trusting the Lord and giving Him thanks in all circumstances.  I hope this has been encouraging to your heart.  May we all enter into Thanksgiving week thanking the Lord for His faithfulness, His mercy, and His loving kindness. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!