In light of current events, I find myself thanking heaven that I live in Canada and not the Ukraine, Russia, Syria, China — the list goes on. If it’s not a catastrophic weather event, it’s war, racist violence, or insufficient medical treatment, which hits headlines from somewhere around the world. I know Canada has its own problems, but we have a lot to be thankful for.
So, I say “thank heavens!” But what does that really mean? Should I be saying something else?
What We Say Matters
“Stop being fussy about words, Candice!” I’ve heard that a lot, but I am concerned about words, and the tone in which they are delivered. My deep love of words and curiosity about meanings can certainly lead me into a deep study, distracting me from context and purpose, but I still think there is a problem with “thank heavens!”
I don’t want to be careless with my utterances. “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,” Jesus taught his disciples (Matthew 12:36). What I say matters.
I love the Triune God, and I believe that Jesus not only died for my sins but rose from the grave. I believe John 14:6 where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
But if my way of talking could suggest I believe something else, if my language is too vague or my thanks is delivered thoughtlessly, then it’s worse than if I didn’t talk about him at all.
What about ‘Thank Heavens’?
“But Candice,” you might be thinking, “what is wrong with saying ‘thank heavens’? It’s not like swearing!” I don’t think we need to be legalistic or wash our mouths out with soap after saying it.
I just want to be more careful about everything that comes out of my mouth and beware of any tendency to go with the flow, to fit in, and ensure everyone is comfortable. When we say “thank heavens” no one cringes.
They sure cringe, though, when I say, “Thank you, Jesus.” That’s as it should be — non-believers should be taken aback when I say his name out loud with a tone of reverence, confidence, and tenderness.
Heaven is a place. Heaven does not do anything for me or against me. Heaven itself has no power to answer my prayers or give me refuge during hard times or wipe away my tears or give me hope.
When I am grateful for something that happens or for being spared from a terrible event, I need to thank the One who is responsible: Jesus. And heaven is the location of my ultimate hope for eternity, but location only, not the source of my hope.
Say it Like it Is
“Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:26). I can say “thank God,” but this produces another neutral reaction among people. It’s another comfortable way of stating my thoughts.
Few people would pause over that because many people believe in God. Not the Triune God; not Immanuel who gave his life for us and was resurrected from the grave.
Not the personal, omniscient, Almighty, good God. To most people I know who talk about “God,” he is a distant and detached power located somewhere in the universe.
These Pantheists talk about “the universe” being responsible for their “fate.” How can a place (the universe) produce any effects in their lives, and why would it (if it was an entity) do so unless the universe itself was a person with power, one who got involved and cared about us?
And would I or anyone else want to thank a power, which just randomly turned up and moved figures around in the giant Game of Life once in a while, just for kicks, before getting bored and wandering away again?
That sort of power would not inspire peace or hope; this power would be fickle and inconsistent; this power would frighten me.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2). If you are actually saying “thank the power that accomplished this thing in my life” then put a name to that power. If you can’t, what are you even saying?
For that matter, what am I saying? “Thank heavens” is essentially the same as “thank the universe” in the sense that I’m taking Jesus out of the equation or denying his Triune status and power.
What Is Heaven?
Revelation 22:1-5 tells us what heaven might look like, glittering, spectacular, beautiful. The most important feature of heaven is not aesthetic, however; it’s the person we will meet there.
Believers will go home to be with Christ. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
Christ is close and personal. We will worship him forever in this spectacular place, which is particularly glorious because of the presence of Jesus.
And heaven is two places: there is heaven now, and there is heaven where we will spend eternity. Randy Alcorn says the first stop is called “intermediate” or “temporary” heaven. “The present heaven is a temporary dwelling place, a stop along the way to our final destination: the New Earth.”
The New Earth is where believers will spend eternity with Christ after he evicts Satan. Heaven will be located on earth, eventually, and it will look very different from the earth of today. Permanent heaven will be perfect.
The Power of Jesus’ Name
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).
We forget what it cost the first Christians (and, today, what it costs Christians in countries worldwide) to declare the name of Jesus.
The Jews of Christ’s time were not persecuted for worshiping God; those who realized that Jesus was the promised Messiah died because they worshiped Christ.
They made people uncomfortable by offering them hope in the shape of the gospel and by saying “there is no other King but Jesus.” Today, people are still uncomfortable when we make our worship personal and when we submit to the Lord through Jesus.
When we do that, it turns out we want to do things differently in our lives. He changes everything. Our money isn’t our own. Our future belongs to him.
We start loving people we would ordinarily avoid. We don’t get angry and get even but, instead, turn the other cheek and love our enemies (or at least, that’s what we’re aiming for).
Declaring the name of Christ in the U.S. or Canada can lead to ridicule; can cause us to be excluded and embarrassed. One reason people respond strongly to the name of our Messiah, however, is because his name is powerful.
When we think about the resurrected Christ, we are challenged to take another look at our entire worldview. Who wants that? We might become new people! That’s the point, and that’s why I thank Jesus, not heaven.
Thank Jesus
The name of Jesus has the power to save and Jesus himself will change us. No impersonal force would even care enough to want to. It couldn’t care: a place is not a person. Heaven is where Jesus is and when I thank God for something, I thank him in the name of Jesus.
For further reading:
Thank You, God: 14 Prayers to Give Thanks to the Lord
5 Prayers for International Peace
What Is Heaven Like According to the Bible?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/beerphotographer
