Investigating the Bible: When to be thankful

By DAVID CARLSON PASTOR

Fred Lockley interviewed a pioneer woman named Valeda Smith Ohmart in 1934. She remembered a story about Tabitha Brown, the founder of Oregon’s Pacific University. Mrs. Brown was a devout and saintly woman; however, perhaps not so much was her husband. In 1845, the Browns were with a group attacked by Pawnee Indians; all their food was stolen. One of the men only found a skunk to be killed for dinner. As their minister started to ask a blessing over their meal, Mr. Brown objected. “I won’t stand for any blessing being asked over a skunk. If the Lord is as good as you say he is, he would furnish us better meat than a skunk. You’d better save your blessings until we get some deer meat or something fit to eat.” In one of the early churches, the apostle Paul gave instructions on when believers are to be thankful.

Paul and Silas traveled to Thessalonica on their first mission and at first things went well. “And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women.” (Acts 17:2-4, English Standard Version used throughout). Their success ignited jealousy in Jewish leaders, so “… taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.” (Acts 17:5). Paul and Silas weren’t there, so they dragged Jason to the city authorities, “… shouting, ‘These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king Jesus.’” (Acts 17: 6-8). Paul and Silas escaped town during the night.

Persecution and discrimination in Thessalonica continued; however, even with these troubles, the church prospered. Later, Paul wrote the first New Testament letter to them and gave them this instruction: “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16). Considering the harsh treatment church members endured helps realize the significance of Paul’s message: Don’t seek revenge, do good things for everyone in spite of how they treat you, always rejoice, always pray, and in every situation, good or bad, give thanks.

Sometimes, in the middle of difficulties, God brings unexpected reasons to be thankful. A blind man, Clement Bosco of Rutherford, New Jersey, wrote of his 1950s experience in The Reader’s Digest. He returned home late one evening. During the day, a hedge he used as an important landmark on his route had been removed. No one was around to help; soon he was completely lost. As he tapped his cane across a bridge, he could hear water rushing far beneath. Then a woman’s voice came from behind, “Are you having trouble?” “I seem to be lost,” he replied. “I thought so,” she said. After a pause, she asked, hesitantly with a trembling voice, “Can I take you somewhere?” Mr. Bosco gave her his address and she led him safely to the door of his home. “I can’t thank you enough,” he said. “I should thank you,” she said with a voice now calm and strong. “My husband left me a week ago. I was on that bridge to commit suicide. Now I’m not going to. Good night!” And then she left.

David Carlson Pastor (yes, that is his last name, not his profession) lives in Oregon and is a graduate of Bethel Theological Seminary in Minnesota (M.Div., M.Th.).