Thankful when hope seems lost

Jehoshaphat was one of the greatest kings in Jewish history. His good and godly reign ushered in a period of remarkable peace and tranquility. He even made peace with Israel, the nation to the north, establishing a truce and common cause which aided both peoples. 

Nonetheless, despite his diligent leadership and service, this good and godly man would face the greatest crisis the Jewish people had seen since leaving Egypt. The Moabites and Ammonites were threatening to obliterate the whole nation. 

Innocent people still face enemies and hurt. They still lose their savings and jobs. They still face recession and calamity and fear. What happened to Jehoshaphat still happens to us.

And so their king does the right thing. He goes to God first, not last as we are prone to do. He calls the nation to come to God as well, through a national fast and prayer meeting. Then he leads the people to do something remarkably unexpected: praise God.

And God answers their cry. He miraculously defeats their enemies in chapter 20. 

Why is praising God, even and especially in hard times and places, the key to the power of God? 

For the simple reason that we enter God’s presence through praise.

Psalm 100:4 is clear: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” This is how we connect with God. This is how we connect to the power of his Spirit. Then the power that created the universe is available to us, no matter what enemies we face.

If there are hard things ahead, if we are in hard times now, it takes the greatest faith to thank God anyway. 

Matthew Henry, the great Bible scholar, was once attacked by thieves and robbed of his wallet. He wrote these words in his diary: “Let me be thankful. First, I was never robbed before. Second, although they took my wallet, they didn’t take my life. Third, although they took all I had, it was not much. Fourth, let me be thankful that it was I who was robbed and not I who did the robbing.” 

There’s always a reason for thanksgiving.

Today, reflect on your attitude. 

Do you thank God in that kind of way? 

Does your attitude reflect one of gratitude, even in the worst of circumstances? 

Or do you find yourself complaining even when things are pretty good?

Ask God to give you a heart this week of thanksgiving, even if things look bad circumstantially. The Israelites praised God in the darkest of times, when all hope seemed lost and destruction seemed inevitable, and God worked a miracle.