Thanking God

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 the Bible tells us, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Hmm, "in everything give thanks;". What is everything? The good and the bad? I think we can all agree, it's easy to be thankful for all the good things in life. But what about the bad? Can we find it in our hearts to be thankful for the bad things? Can we say a prayer of thanks to God for both the good and the bad? I believe we can.

When I'm going through a bad time it helps me to remember another bad time in my past. Now you're thinking, 'Why in the world would you want to do that? Add bad memories on top of an already bad situation?' I do it because after I remember the bad, my mind pushes forward to the outcome of the bad.

Sometimes I learned a lesson, sometimes a new door opened up to me, sometimes someone else benefited from my bad situation. I renewed spiritual strength and hope. Just as the Bible reminds us, "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Roman 5:3-5

Here is my Thanksgiving Day dinner prayer:

Lord,

Every good gift we have comes from you.
Our family and friends,
A roof above our heads,
Food upon our table,
Clothing upon our backs,
For this we give thanks.

Every tribulation we have comes from you.
With your grace we persevere,
With your grace we build character,
With your grace we renew our strength,
With your grace we find hope,
From from every tribulation comes a new gift,
For this we give thanks.

As we gather together
This Thanksgiving Day,
Our gifts and tribulations
On our minds,
And in our hearts,
And we know you are with us,
For this we give thanks.

Amen

What is your Thanksgiving prayer?