Is 2020 So Bad That We Cannot Thank God For Being Merciful To Us? -By Isaac Asabor

There is no denying the fact that not few Nigerians, even across nations globally, are grumbling, and at the same time saying that year 2020 is the most difficult year ever in decades. Aptly put, not few Nigerians firmly believe that 2020 is a tough year. As it seems, it is no news that thanksgiving this year would look a whole lot different for many people.

At this juncture, it is expedient to ask, “Can we thank God for 2020 irrespective of the fact that times are tough? Yes, we should. After all, is it that bad that we cannot thank God for being merciful to us?

First and foremost, Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”.

In the aforementioned verse, Paul exhorts those in the Christendom to give thanks in all circumstances. He adds that it is God’s will to do so. Regardless of how difficult our circumstances may be, we can find reasons to thank God. We can be thankful that all things work together for our good if we belong to Him (Romans 8:28). We can be thankful that God’s grace is sufficient to sustain us in every circumstance (2 Corinthians 12:9). We can be thankful that nothing can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:37–39). We can be thankful that God even supports us spiritually when trials produce difficulty in our prayer life (Romans 8:26). Rough circumstances also prove the genuineness of our faith (1 Peter 1:6–7).

Paul previously wrote to “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Joy is not the same thing as happiness. In a similar way, Scripture notes the difference between giving thanks “for” our circumstances, as opposed to giving thanks “in” our circumstances. For instance, a car wreck may not find us giving thanks for a twisted fender and smashed radiator, but we can give thanks that we have insurance and a God who is always present with us. We may not thank God for an illness, but we can be thankful for medicines and doctors. Persecution is not something we would be thankful for, but we can be thankful that God can use that hardship for our eternal benefit.

This verse does not say to give thanks for everything. It says to give thanks in every circumstance. I see it misinterpreted all the time. You don’t have to give thanks for evil in the world. The Bible does not tell us to be thankful for evil. For instance, we cannot thank God for COVID-19 but we can thank God for surviving all the hardships it came with. But in every circumstance, no matter how bad it is, I can give thanks to God because His purpose is bigger than my problem. He will give me the power to overcome my problem. I know I will grow through the experience if I allow God to help me grow. I may not be thankful for evil, but I can be thankful despite evil.

I can hear many a reader snide over the thought process in this piece, saying “How can one be grateful when everything have been lost?”
However, if anyone is still pondering over what to thank God for concerning 2020, this writer can in this context say that there are many things to be thankful for in 2020. Topmost of them is how God has been protecting those of us that are alive reading this piece from Covid-19 pandemic. We should be thankful that we did not get the virus, and for those that got it, they should equally be thankful to God that they survived it. There is no denying the fact that God kept us from this disease that is of pandemic dimension, and He continues to protect us from it. Explanatorily put, if you have not gotten this virus, or you have and recovered or are even in the process of recovering, this is something worth celebrating.

True to the scriptural truth in His word in Psalm 34 verse 10 that “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing”, God no doubt provided for us during the period the nationwide lockdown implemented by both the federal and state governments lasted despite the fact that some selfish politicians hid away palliatives meant for the people. The lockdown period was the period when people were relieved of their jobs and invariably rendered jobless to the detriment of their personal wellbeing and that of their families. Worsening enough in Nigeria was the circumstances that pushed many to begging just to have a meal a day. There is need to thank God for His provision in 2020 as not everyone resorted to begging to survive.
As we are about to enter 2021, we should be thankful by virtue of the fact that despite how the pandemic has affected our work, worship, school, sports, socializing, shopping, graduations, weddings, births, funerals, and in other way it has negatively affected us that we are still alive, and looking forward to 2021.

Against the foregoing backdrop, there is every reason for those in the Christendom to be thankful to God for 2020 as He entrusts them with trials. Are you surprise over the foregoing view? Don’t! Those in the Christendom are in the habit of erroneously holding the assumption that by serving God in ministry, they are entitled to a life that is inherent with bread and butter. Unknown to them, God shapes his servants through trials. The reason on why God shapes His children’s’ lives with trials cannot be farfetched as trials are part of God’s work as they put His power on display, and more often than not prepare His children for service even with little trials. Not only that, God uses trials such as the ones brought upon humanity by COVID-19 to sanctify his children. The reason for why God puts his children on trials can be found in the scripture that says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).

Again, trials make those in the Christendom depend on God. He uses trials to turn His children’s dependence fully on him. He wants them to cling to him and find peace in Him alone. The greatest battle that is waged each day for the glory of God is not the one around His children, it is the one in each and every one of them. It is germane at this juncture to say that Man’s sinful heart doesn’t want to relinquish control. Therefore, trials are God’s tool to break His children’s dependence on self so that they will trust in Him alone. This is clearly stated in Isaiah 42:8 thus: “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images”
Furthermore, trials on the long run will always show others that it pays to depend on God, and trials show us and others that God is infinitely valuable.

COVID-19, no doubt, has affected human lives in such a way that many do not know what will happen in the future. The Bible, however, declares that God is both the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Rev. 1:8), and that He declares the end from the beginning (see Isaiah 46:9-10).

God knows the future, and He assures those who are in Christ and those who love Him and are called to His purpose that whatever happens, He will turn it for their good (Romans 8:28). There is nothing that can separate God’s children from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35-39). No one can snatch them out from the Father’s hand (John 10:29).

Because of this, we, particularly those of us in the Christendom, have every reason to thank God. No matter what happens in the future, no matter how uncertain 2021 may be, one thing is for sure: He will never leave His children (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5).

At this juncture, permit me to ask, “Is 2020 so bad that we cannot thank God for being merciful to us?