I have a friend who keeps a gratitude journal. She writes in it every morning. My friend is spiritual but not a professing Christian, although we who are can learn from those who are not. She gave me a journal, and I started to write in it every morning, too. But I don’t do it regularly enough.
I’m impressed by my friend’s discipline and consistency in looking at the world and her life through a lens of gratitude. It’s not that I’m ungrateful, but there are days when gratitude feels like one more thing on my to-do list. I just don’t naturally think about being thankful the whole time, although it’s a good disposition to have.
When circumstances are painful, when life feels unfair, when fatigue has dulled joy, it’s hard to feel thankful. Yet biblical thanksgiving is more than a feeling. Being thankful is a choice of faith over what we feel.
The Bible doesn’t tell us to feel thankful for the difficult situations we face—it invites us to choose gratitude, even in the face of adversity.
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Paul is writing to the Thessalonian believers—a young church facing persecution and uncertainty. Paul says in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. Gratitude is possible within difficulty, not because difficulty is good.
God’s will isn’t for us to pretend hardship away or numb ourselves to the pain, but to discover His presence and faithfulness in it. Perhaps thankfulness can help us do that. If we muster up a word of thanks, or can a tiny bit grateful, it is then rooted in trust and faith in God.
When gratitude feels impossible,
faith makes it possible.
Whatever is happening in our lives, we show faith and trust that God can work it for good.
As Romans 8:28 NLT encourages us:
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
God does not intend us to thank him for the evil in this world. Instead, the Bible encourages us to cry out to God in these situations and to see his presence even there.
We give thanks and praise in the circumstances, not for the circumstances. Then maybe eventually, like Joseph, we can say: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good” (Genesis 50:20 NLT).
Pain narrows our focus and perspective, but knowing God can and is working out things for good gives us an opportunity to choose faith in God’s goodness rather than what we feel. Then we can say “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me” (Psalm 23:4 NLT).
We can’t always see what God is doing but when we shift our focus to be grateful for who he is, we gain a fresh perspective of hope in our circumstances. Then we can say: “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
Giving thanks, however small, opens our hearts to God’s presence in our pain. It’s as if we are saying, I acknowledge that your plans and purposes are bigger than what I can see right now. Then we can say: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time” (Psalm 34:18-19 NLT).
Gratitude is an act of trust: “God, I don’t understand this, but I thank you for what is good and I believe you are still good.”
Let’s practice gratitude when we don’t feel it.
I invite you to start small. Write down one thing each day this week that you’re grateful for—even something ordinary like a sunrise, a text from a friend, or a good cup of coffee.Use this prayer as the anchor.
Leave a comment and let me know when gratitude doesn’t come naturally, what helps you notice God’s goodness again?
