Quick–without giving it more than two seconds of thought, name one thing you are thankful for. Finish this sentence: “God, I’m grateful for_____.”
Chances are you filled in the blank with something author Chuck Colson calls “natural gratitude” (Colson is using categories from the preacher/theologian Jonathan Edwards). Natural gratitude, Colson writes, is a thankfulness “for blessings received. Life, health, home, family, freedom, a tall, cold lemonade on a summer day — it’s a mindset of active appreciation for all good gifts.” These are the gifts which come easily to mind “in a world full of…blessings.”
Stage One: Natural Gratitude in a World of Blessing
We might call this Stage One gratitude. Stage One gratitude is expressed by many of us when we live in the world of blessing. It is the gratitude that comes quickly and most naturally. This gratitude is prompted by what’s easily seen: a steady job, good health, a best friend, technology that makes life easier, a great meal, a kind note of appreciation, a recent prayer answered powerfully and positively, etc.
Take just a moment right now and list the first five that come to your mind. Now, give thanks to God for some of these top-of-the-mind items.
Stage Two: Gratitude for the Foundation of a World of Blessing
For some of us, gratitude stops right there. But there’s so much more. I suggest that there’s a Stage Two gratitude which we sometimes miss, even when we live in a world of blessing. There are certain things which are responsible for the general goodness of life which we often overlook. Walter Brueggeman points out that the Psalms of Orientation focus on these. Psalms of Orientation are prayers of gratitude for the things just under the surface which make life so pleasant. These prayers point to four things of God which have provided us our world of blessing:
- His word which reveals who He is and the best way to live our lives. Psalm 119 overflows with gratitude for the way God’s word helps us understand His nature and gives us practical wisdom for living.
- The beautiful and rich cosmos he created for us to live in. Psalm 104 praises God for the bounty of his creation and the way he sustains it and uses it to bless us.
- A predictable moral law woven into his creation. Psalm 133 thanks God for a moral law that generally says life in community is superior to life in isolation.
- A long history of being involved in the lives of his people. Psalm 136 invites us to give thanks for the many ways God has worked in human history to bless his people.
Take a moment right now to give thanks to God for one of these things.
In his book Prayer Richard Foster writes about four obstacles that keep us from what I’ve called Stage One and Stage Two gratitude.
- The first obstacle is inattention. We simply often do not pay attention to good things God has given us.
- A second obstacle is the wrong kind of attention. For example, we might pay attention to a sunset. But rather than allowing the sunset to draw us into praise, we ask analytical and scientific questions of it: why does the sun turn that color, etc.?
- A third obstacle is greed. Foster writes, “Instead of simply enjoying pleasures, we demand more pleasures-whether we enjoy them or not.”
- Finally, conceit is an obstacle to celebration. Conceit leads us to amazement at ourselves rather than amazement at our God and all he’s given to us.
Gratitude thus requires 1) attention to all God has given us, 2) with the result that we adore the Giver rather than analyzing the gift, 3) satisfaction with what God’s granted instead of dissatisfaction for what God has not granted, and 4) the fundamental conviction that it’s not our hard work that has filled our homes and bank accounts—it’s God’s great grace.
Which of these four is your greatest obstacle? What could you do to overcome this obstacle this week?
Stage Three: Gratitude for Who God is in a World of Brokenness
But what happens to gratitude, praise, and adoration when our world is no longer a world of blessing? What happens when we suddenly find ourselves in what Colson calls “the world of brokenness?” Colson writes: “[natural] gratitude doesn’t come naturally — if at all — when things go badly. It can’t buoy us in difficult times…And, to paraphrase Jesus, even pagans can give thanks when things are going well. [Jonathan] Edwards calls the deeper, primary form of thankfulness ‘gracious gratitude.’ It gives thanks not for goods received, but for who God is: for His character — His goodness, love, power, excellencies — regardless of favors received…It is relational, rather than conditional. Though our world may shatter, we are secure in Him…And that, more than any words we might utter, is a powerful witness to our neighbors that God’s power is real, and His presence very relevant, even in a world full of brokenness as well as blessings.”
Is gratitude and praise possible even in a world of brokenness? Colson argues that it is. We can focus on who God still is in spite of the circumstances of our lives. This seems to be the experience of David in Psalm 13. Though caught in a trying time, David nonetheless states, “But I have trusted in your steadfast love.” Even in brokenness David can give thanks for the steadfast love which his circumstances cannot deny.
Richard Foster, in his book Prayer, argues that some forms of prayers of gratitude engage the heart while others engage the mind. Thanksgiving, gratitude for what God has done for us, engages the heart. Praise, gratitude for who God is, engages the mind. We might argue than in a world of brokenness, when even our heart is broken, thanksgiving comes less naturally. But what can still flow are the words of praise that come from a mind still focused on God and convinced in the unchanging nature of God.
We might call Stage Three gratitude the gratitude focused on who God is. In spite of trying times, we can still praise God for who he is. Take a moment right now to list some of God’s qualities which do not change even when our circumstances do change. Now, thank God for these.
Stage Four: Gratitude for What God is Doing in a World of Brokenness
There is, however, one more step we might take in expressing gratitude in a world of brokenness. It’s a step modeled perfectly by Jesus. In Matt. 11 Jesus experiences a series of disappointments and setbacks. Yet at the bottom of that pit, Jesus expresses gratitude: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.” (Matt. 11:25). This is not natural gratitude. This is unnatural.
Notice what prompts the “I thank you.” First, Jesus is focused on who God is. Rather than focus on the negative circumstance he focuses on the nature of God. He reminds himself in prayer that God is “Father” and “Lord of heaven and earth.” These characteristics of God have not changed in spite of the circumstance Jesus finds himself in. Jesus focuses on who God is. Foster would call this “praise.” Jesus has engaged his mind to focus on the unchanging qualities of God.
But Jesus also focuses on what God is doing. Even though Jesus finds himself in a set of circumstances in which God does not appear to be working, Jesus recognizes that God is working. Even in this deep pit God is “hiding” and “revealing.” God is at work. Jesus trusts not just in the nature of God but in the work of God. He believes God is still present and active in spite of the brokenness around him.
Take a moment and consider the world of brokenness around you. Can you still see God at work in some small way? Thank God for that small but significant work.
Notes:
Chuck Colson, “Grateful for God in Tough Times” Christian Post (July 5, 2011) www.christianpost.com.
Richard Foster, Prayer(HarperSanFrancisco, 1992).
[image]
