New to Refiner’s Fire? I encourage you to read the FORWARD.
This annual celebration brings families together for a moment to think of all the things we “should” be thankful.
Sunday’s sermon on Thanksgiving went deeper than any sermon I have heard onThanksgiving. Neither the scripture nor the message, was the typical warm Thanksgiving reminder.
For those who suffer with continual pain – physical, mental, emotional or relational – it is difficult to think about thanking God for that pain. For some of us it has been for most of our lives, for others it has been all of your life.
Dr. Jeff Hamm, Christ Church Presbyterian Atlanta, mentioned that many consider Romans as the “Magna Carta” of the Gospel. His starting verse was Romans 1: 21.
As he continued he reminded us the Apostle Paul begins with not what we expect in the American church. Paul begins this “Magna Carta” with “awful news, with bad news.”
By the time Dr. Hamm finished I was in tears
as I realized I had never given thanks for my raging body,
which often makes me feel I’m going crazy.
I thank the Triune God for the strength to keep moving forward when my body rages. I thank Him for giving me God sightings in the midst of my pain. I thanked Him for letting me feel His continual presence, even when my body makes me think I am terrified. Yet, I had never thanked Him for the internal terror that ravaged my body day after day.
Why should we thank God for painful circumstances? I think its best if you listen to the sermon yourself 😊
THANKSGIVING Dr. Jeff Hamm
Next page: A Difficult Beginning
Yes we need to thank God IN all things not necessarily For all things.mupy son has schizoaffective disorder, I am not thankful for that disorder which distorts your thoughts, changes perceptions and makes your fearful of everything, but I remain thankful in this season, thankful for the doctors, for the counselors, for the medicine for the prayers of those who continue to stand in the gap for me, for him, for my family. Yes gratitude is an uplifting attitude, may your Thanksgiving be a peaceful one
Debbie, I grieve for what your son is having to endure – there are no words to express how my heart hurts for him and for you.
A week ago I probably would have agreed with you. Did you listen to the sermon? It gave me new insight into why thanking God for the actual pain is important also.
Dr. Hamm’s last point really hit me, “To withhold thanksgiving is to withhold glory from God.” It struck me in my heart – it was as if my unwillingness to thank God for the internal terror that I live with was denying that God knows and wants what is best for me. Is there any greater place of surrender to the all loving Triune God than to thank Him FOR the pain that He is allowing to ravage me. It doesn’t lessen the pain, the agony. It doesn’t take away the tears (He collects them, Psalm 56:8). My thankfulness for the pain does say, “Father, Son and Holy Spirit I believe and trust that you have a plan and a purpose in all this pain. I believe that one day You will show me the glory You have received through my surrender of thanksgiving for this pain and I will then share in that glory.”
From ESV Study Bible “Rom. 8:18 The ultimate glory that Christians will receive is so stupendous that the sufferings of this present time are insignificant in comparison (cf. 2 Cor. 4:17). They look forward both to the resurrection of the body (1 Thess. 4:13–18) and to the new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21:1–22:5; see Isa. 65:17).”
So I do believe it is to our eternal benefit to thank God for the actual pain, not just all the “blessings” around it.
May your family too have a blessed Thanksgiving.