Did you know that God wants to multiply the goodness in your life and He wants to do it through the giving of thanks? Hey, friends, my name is Rachel Hale, and I want to talk to you and encourage you today about the power that lies in the practice of giving thanks.
A couple years ago, I was in Los Angeles, it was June of 2020, and I had just gotten casted for a television show. I was so excited because we were in the middle of the Covid Pandemic, and I was just pumped that I would get casted for a show during that time, because for me it was a miracle. Like, oh, look at God, providing for me during the middle of this pandemic. He is so good, so faithful, you know, a great job! And I go down to LA to start working, and I get there, and in a matter of three days, all these horrible things happen, okay? First of all, my catalytic converter got stolen. It was a $2,000 part. The next day, the television network called me and said, “Rachel, you are no longer on this show.” They did a last minute cut because of budget, because of Covid. And my part no longer existed. I got cut from the show. This is a totally true story. And then the next day, the governor of California did a mandatory stay-at-home order for the state of California. And he was not kidding. I knew people that literally got ticketed in law in the Los Angeles area for driving on the road during that mandatory stay- at-home order.
So I was just in a horrible situation, and I had a couple people pray for me, they prayed hope over me, and that changed my perspective. And, I went before the Lord and I sat there and I was still so depressed, even though they had prayed, but I believed that their prayer worked, you know? I laid before Lord, and I said, “Oh God, what am I gonna do? How am I going to eat?” And I asked Him mainly that because a few years prior, God had told me that He wanted me to start eating a paleo lifestyle and had really led me to that lifestyle. And the products are so expensive. And so I was like, “God, like, how am I gonna afford this smoothie?” And God reminded me of the story in Matthew chapter 14:13-21. But, you’ve got to go read it yourself. Basically in the story, Jesus finds Himself surrounded by 5,000 men plus women and children, and they all need to eat. And all He has is two fish and five loaves, and He breaks the loaves, and He gives thanks for what He has. That food multiplies to feed the 5,000 men plus women and children, and then they have over 12 baskets leftover of food.
And God reminds me of that story as I’m asking Him, “How am I gonna eat? How am I gonna pay rent?” All these things. And He said, “I want you to start giving thanks for what you have.” And I said, “Okay, God.” So I’m sitting there, I’m in this little studio apartment, and I have my phone in one hand. I said, “Thank you,” and I’m just trying to come up with things to be thankful for, you know? So I’m like, “Thank you, Lord for oxygen, thank you for my teeth.” Like, these are the things I thank God for when I have nothing else to thank Him for. “Thank you, Lord, thank you for air conditioning. Thank you for a heartbeat.” You know, anything I can think of I’m thankful for. And then all of a sudden I think about my phone in my hand. I said, “Thank you, God, for my phone, that I have a telephone.” And the Holy Spirit stops me in my tracks. And He said, “Rachel, I want you to start stewarding that better.” He said, “You have social media and I want you to steward it better.” He said, “Reach out to one of those companies that you’ve been buying products from and see if they’ll sponsor you.” And I said, “Okay, God, let me try.”
And so I reached out to the first one that I thought of, one that I had been buying products from for a very long time. And I just said, “Hey, would y’all ever be interested in sponsoring me?” And they said, “Absolutely. We’ll send you product. Would you just post a picture for us on your social media?” And I said to them, “Absolutely, of course.” So they send me the products and I’m so excited, and I get ready to post on social media and then I have this, well, I’m competitive, and so, I was like, “Well, I can’t just post a picture, that would just be boring. It’d be like everybody else.” And so I decided, well, I’m going to share a recipe. You know, I use this product every day. I’m going share a recipe with my followers. And I’m going to do a pun on my last name and a spin on Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen, and I’m going to call it “Hale’s Kitchen,” because my last name is Hale, Rachel Hale, that’s my name. And so I do this thing called Hale’s Kitchen. I share this recipe. It was a total actual joke to me, but God took it very seriously and companies loved it. They caught onto it and said, “Oh, can we be a part of this?” And they just started sending me products. And before I know it, I am doing an Instagram series called Hale’s Kitchen on my social media channel. And it caught on so much that now I have celebrity guests on my show, and I’m even doing live Hale’s Kitchen events. And people are coming, they’re getting tickets, and they’re coming to watch Hale’s Kitchen.
So I tell you that to encourage you, that no matter where you are, if you’ll begin to give thanks, God will open your eyes to what’s around you, to the things that He’s already given you. And you will see multiplication of His goodness in your life. Let’s take a moment to practice this. Also, before we take that moment, I want to share one more scripture with you. It’s in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. This is what it says. It says, (it’s the Word of God) it says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Some of you might not be in destitute situations like I was in. Some of you might just be at a dead end and you don’t know what’s next. And you’re asking God, “Oh Lord, what’s your perfect will? What’s your perfect will?” This is it: It says, “Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” So if you feel like you need clarity about your next step, I would encourage you to give thanks right now, because that is God’s perfect will for you. And I wouldn’t be shocked if God actually splits the Red Sea for you in the area that you feel like you’re in a dead end through the giving of thanks.
So let’s just practice giving thanks for what we have. We’re going to stop and just do five things we’re thankful for, and then I’m going pray for us and close us out, okay? Ready? Set! Let’s give thanks. Jesus, I thank you for the power of giving thanks. I ask, Holy Spirit, that you would begin to plant seeds in everybody’s heart that’s listening about the power that lies in their giving of thanks. I ask that you would multiply the goodness in their lives, and I ask that your perfect will would be done in each of their lives. In Jesus’ Name, amen.