True Thankfulness has Nothing to Do with What We Own

Being Truly Thankful – A Lesson from Job

Even the dictionary defines thankfulness as “showing gratefulness for what we have or what we own.” In other words, being grateful or thankful for our “stuff.”  

But God gives us quite a different lesson on what “true” thankfulness is by the account of his servant Job recorded in the book of the Bible with the same name.

The meaning of true thankfulness in Job’s life is revealed as God allows Satan to pummel Job, but not take his life.

Satan tells God that Job would curse Him if God took away his stuff (Job 1:9-11).

Then, after that lie fails, Satan modifies his argument to: “If you strike him personally,” then he’ll curse God (Job 2:4-5).

God tells Satan to go ahead with his testing, but he’s not allowed to take Job’s life.

Satan’s Testing and Overview of Job’s Suffering

All of Job’s children (seven sons and three daughters) are killed when a tornado-force wind collapses the house. The family business is in ruins. Job had been wealthy, owned thousands of sheep, donkeys, camels, etc., and had many servants.

Now everything he owns is gone.

Job is then struck with physical afflictions that incapacitate him:

• ulcerous sores (Job 2:7)
• persistent itching (2:8)
• inability to eat (3:24)
• overwhelming dread and fear at times (3:25)
• insomnia (7:4)
• worms in his open sores (7:5)
• cracked and oozing skin (7:5)
• difficulty breathing (9:18)
• dark circles around his eyes (16:16)
• weight loss (19:20; 33:21)
  
• constant, continual pain (30:16, 17)
• constant high fever and aching joints (30:28,30)

Any of us in this condition would likely be complaining, wouldn’t we?

“Mrs. Job”

Job’s unnamed wife (we’ll call her “Mrs. Job”) is understandably distraught, having lost all her children. Additionally, her horror is magnified as she watches her husband’s physical health deteriorate more day after day, week after week, month after month.

Finally, Job becomes so repulsive to his wife, loathsome to his brothers, and where even little children despise him, that he moves out of the house into the town dump, where other beggars and lepers live.

Mrs. Job appears to come to the end of her emotional rope and tells her husband to curse God and die. 

 “He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”  In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”

— Job 2:10 (NIV)*

Job’s Friends

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, three of Job’s friends, are horrified at all he is suffering; yet, accuse him of sinning or at best, failing to “own up” to or acknowledge sin in his life. They’re not much help because they believe God must be exacting some form of punishment on Job.

Job silences them by enlightening them that there is no correlation in this world between righteousness and prosperity or between wickedness and suffering. The righteous may suffer more than the wicked, and the wicked may prosper more than the righteous.

Regardless, God is still God. He is still sovereign, eternally just, holy, and righteous. 

On True Thankfulness 

In all Job’s suffering, he did not curse God. Many of us would have found it difficult to utter these words were it our own children taken from us:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” 

— Job 1:21 (NIV)

Through his suffering, Job discovered a truth that we, too, need to apply to our lives:

Thankfulness is not about what we have, possess or own;
true thankfulness is about who we are and
who we belong to as Christians.

As Christians, we profess to be “Christ-like” and we belong to God if we place our faith in Him and surrender to Him as Lord.

For it is His saving grace, freely given to us, for which we are thankful. 

Just like Job, we turn to God for understanding, endurance, and ultimately deliverance on His timetable.

And we know He delivers…and for that, we are truly grateful.

*Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.