The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song, I give thanks to him.” Psalm 28:7
I love the sentiment of the celebration of Thanksgiving in the United States. Even if you don’t live here, it reminds us ALL to be grateful for how God has blessed our lives.
I want to address those of you who are going through a difficult time and find it challenging to express joy and thankfulness. I get you.
I’m working diligently to be grateful every day. It’s a choice I’m making, and there is Scripture to back that up. :)
If I were to focus on what has been hard, I’d have a list of things to distract me from praising God and finding joy.
I won’t give you a platitude about what to do when you don’t have joy in your heart. But I’ll share what I did instead of ruminating on “hard” things:
- God, thank you for inviting me into a deeper level of trust and relationship with you. We’ve always had enough, and You never leave me or forsake me.
- God, thank you for removing people from my life who were toxic and couldn’t go with me into the next season.
- God, thank you for showing me my value and worth so that I am confident in my ability to have hard conversations and set firm boundaries.
Our ability to have a grateful heart depends on what we believe about God and the power He gives us through the gift of being thankful.
Let me say that another way …
What you BELIEVE about God will impact your belief that giving thanks is a powerful gift given to us that the world does not have.
Psalm 103:2-5 reminds us of the good things God has already done.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
It says that we should not forget His benefits… we should remember! Think about the things He’s already done for you because He will do it again.
- He will forgive …
- He will heal …
- He will redeem …
- He will crown us with love and compassion …
- He will satisfy …
We have the benefits of being a child of the Most High God. We must not lose hope. God is still very involved in seeing us grow in character and being refined into His image. He is good and works all the things in your life together for good. What you believe about God will show up in your life.
If you find yourself stuck in a mindset of not being able to give thanks for your circumstances, give thanks to God, for He is good. (Psalm 106:1)
Prayer:
God, I’m having a hard time being thankful in my circumstances. You know how I’m struggling, and I am tempted to believe you have forgotten about me. I ask that you silence the enemy, the liar, and keep him far from me. I break every agreement I made with him in my mind or words about my circumstances. I ask that you forgive me for entertaining the worst-case scenarios. Thank you for your forgiveness and grace over my life.
I choose today to remember your benefits … the things you provide to me because I’m loved by You. I choose to remember that you have forgiven me and will continue to do so. Thank you. I choose to remember that you have healed me and will continue to heal me in body, soul, and spirit. Thank you. I choose to remember that you have redeemed me. Thank you. I choose to remember you put upon my head and mind Your love and compassion. Thank you. I choose to remember You will always satisfy my every need. Thank you.
I give you thanks today for you are good. Your mercies are new every morning. You are generous to me. You hold every tear of mine in a bottle. You see me, you understand me, and you are always happy to be with me.
I love you, God, and I praise your holy name.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
