Thank the Lord in All Things

In a revelation shortly after Joseph and many others arrived in the area the Lord designated as Zion, he received this counsel: “Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things.” I believe this is connected to the direction in the next verse: “Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in righteousness, even that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” Certainly to thank the Lord in all things we must have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; we must recognize our dependence on the Lord and how He is the source of our blessings. So to follow that first counsel in true sincerity we must make the sacrifice of humility that He requires. The Lord emphasized again at the end of the revelation: “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:7-8, 21). To confess His hand in all things is to thank the Lord for everything. The invitation in this section is to look to see God’s hand in our lives in all things and to thank Him continually. He summarized this in another revelation in these words: “And ye must give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with” (Doctrine and Covenants 46:32).

               I am impressed with the way that the people involved in the two great voyages recorded in the Book of Mormon, Lehi’s family and the Jaredites, followed this counsel to thank the Lord. Lehi had barely begun his long voyage when “he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God” (1 Nephi 2:7). After Nephi and his brothers returned with the plates, “They did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel” (1 Nephi 5:9). Later when Ishmael’s group joined them, “They did give thanks unto the Lord their God; and they did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto him” (1 Nephi 7:22). When they were able to obtain food, “They did humble themselves before the Lord, and did give thanks unto him” (1 Nephi 16:32). Most impressively of all, when Nephi was tied up in a storm on the ship and on the verge of death, he did this: “Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions” (1 Nephi 18:16). That was a powerful example of thanking the Lord in all things. Similarly, when the Jaredites were crammed in those barges on the ocean for almost a year, Moroni described what they did: “And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord” (Ether 6:9). In what must have been a terribly uncomfortable situation, the Jaredites still thanked and praised the Lord for His goodness in carrying them to a land of promise. These and other scriptural examples show us how we too must see the good in every situation, show forth a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and find ways thank the Lord in all things.