Psalm 34:1,3,17 NASB95
I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. [3] O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. [17] The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles.
Ephesians 5:20 NASB95
always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
Isaiah 46:9-10 NASB95
I am God, and there is no one like Me, [10] Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
The Bible doesn’t say bless the Lord or give thanks for all things when you can look back and know that everything turned out the way you hoped it would. Instead, Psalm 34 says, “Bless the Lord at all times, and Ephesians 5 says to “give thanks for all things.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16 tells us, “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Because we are in Christ, we can see things through His eyes, and He sees things from a position of being seated on a throne in the heavenly places. It is before we know the outcome; while we are still walking “in” the situation that we go ahead and bless the Lord, and give him thanks because according to the Isaiah 46 passage, “He knows the end of the situation from its very beginning.” He knows from the start that all things will work together for the good of those who are called according to His purpose. We don’t have to live in anxiety and despair because we don’t know how things will turn out because He does. God is there at the beginning of every mess or potential mess, and He is already standing there at the end waiting for us to arrive. In between the beginning and the end of each circumstance, He wants us to take every step along the way abiding in Christ with thanksgiving in our heart and on our lips because we know He has known the end since the beginning, and the end will be our good and His glory.