Thankfulness and Dependence

Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings. The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him (Psalm 28:6-7).

Asking for temporal blessings from God and giving thanks for them is common in the Bible, yet I have often been hesitant to do these things myself. One reason for this is that I don’t readily accept tangible things I can’t see simply and directly. For example, before giving thanks for a leftover sandwich, the thought might come up that it came from the fridge rather than God. Of course, a little critical thinking will reveal that this does not rule out God’s involvement; he pre-ordained the circumstances for me to have that sandwich. An analogy from C.S. Lewis states that saying we don’t need God to provide for us since we can provide for ourselves is like saying that “we will be fine during the grain shortage because we will always have plenty of bread.”

Another challenge to the idea of our tangible items being a blessing from God is that they are unevenly distributed. Some people have private jets while others are starving. If blessings come from God, then why does he not distribute them more evenly? An answer that accounts for much of this is the existence of sin and free will, and the fact that God likes to work through people. Consider the following analogy: A king wants to send gifts to three of his vassals, so he sends messengers carrying these gifts. One messenger is entranced by the gold he is carrying and decides to run away with it himself. Another messenger is robbed by bandits. The third messenger successfully brings the gift to his assigned vassal. It is of course appropriate for that vassal to thank the messenger for his journey and provide him food and rest. Yet, it is also imperative for that vassal to send a message of thanks to the king. We should keep this in mind, especially considering what unfaithful vassals we are.

Now that I have addressed some reasons why one might be discouraged to give thanks, I want to provide some positive reasons why we should give thanks. Consider a child who is a spoiled brat and feels entitled to all that he has. He would not only be in an evil state, but an unhappy one. Now consider a child who is thankful for everything he has. He would be doing the right thing by giving thanks, and he would also be much happier. Another thing to consider is that Jesus is recorded giving thanks before the multiplication of loaves and fishes, as well as before the last supper. If we are to become more like Christ, we should include giving thanks in following his example.

Jesus taught us to pray “give us this day our daily bread.” An interesting implication of this prayer is that it implies the teaching of Jesus to not worry about tomorrow. This is one way we are to understand trusting in God and depending on him through prayer. One challenging thought to the idea of prayer is that one may wonder if his or her prayers are ever answered or if the events that follow are entirely up to the random forces of nature. C.S. Lewis said something along the lines of ‘If what you prayed for happened, there can be no doubt about it that your prayer contributed to that. If it did not happen, then God refused your request for your good, as well as the good of the world.’ I was a bit skeptical of this idea at first, but it turns out to actually have a really good point. If you are part of a group project and the project would get done with or without your help, it still does not discount whatever contribution you put in.

Ultimately, especially if Christianity is true, there will always be some mystery to the ways God works in the world. Even though we may not fully understand it, we are called to ask and trust God for our sustenance, and give him thanks for it. We should also give him thanks for our extra blessings, and ask for guidance to enjoy them in a way that is within his will and honors him.