The Light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5 (Verse on Bible Hub)
FINDING GRATITUDE IN THE HARD TIMES
I love thanking God for His blessings in good times but I’ve struggled in finding gratitude in the hard times. I asked God a few months ago why that was and He showed me the things I tend to focus on as my ‘top blessings’ were all things that could be touched by shifting circumstances in life.
Home, health, family, friends, finances etc …
All very important things to be thankful for.
But when the storms come and bump any of my blessings, then it can seem like the proverbial rain cloud has positioned itself right above me, casting dark shadows of doubt and uncertainty. And I begin to lose hope that my prayers are even heard.
DEFINE GRATITUDE
The Dictionary defines gratitude as …
“The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”
Finding gratitude in the hard times can be just that … hard.
Life is hard. And during the storms of life, it can seem almost crazy to the rational mind to assume we can remain ever ready to be consistently thankful at all times. But 1 Thessalonians 5:18 admonishes us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.” If something is God’s will for me, than I can trust He will help me to walk it out so I can receive His best for my life.
Wikipedia says ::: (Quote) “Gratitude has been said to mold and shape the entire Christian life. Martin Luther referred to gratitude as “The basic Christian attitude” and today it is still referred to as “the heart of the gospel.” Christians are strongly encouraged to praise and give gratitude to their creator. In Christian gratitude, God is seen as the selfless giver of all good things and because of this, there is a deep sense of gratefulness which enables Christians to share a common bond, shaping all aspects of a follower’s life.”
HOW TO STAY GRATEFUL
Seek the Giver more than His gifts.
God showed me I needed to make a lifestyle of stewarding my blessings with the right perspective. See Him first as my greatest blessing before everything and everyone else, in good times and bad.
In His wisdom, God sometimes answers my prayers with a ‘no’ or ‘not yet.’ So when I’m laser locked just on what He can do for me or give me, at times it can feel like I’m walking through dry desert spaces for long periods of time.
But when my heart desires Jesus Himself above all else, it is a great big resounding YES every single time. There is never a wait to have my cup filled to overflowing. The sweet refreshing I need is immediate.
I wish I could tell you I never get distracted and consistantly seek my Healer more than my healing. Because when I have a good day of making HIM my delight, I’m not only filled to overflowing and better able to manage the pain. But God dearly loves revealing His heart to those who love Him. The more I know Him, the better I can remember His goodness and faithfulness during dry seasons or hard times.
Another thing God does, and this is so sweet … every now and then He will unexpectedly give me a material thing I asked for maybe months or years prior and forgot. I’m learning God is more likely to give me something when it no longer has a grip on me.
Seeking God first and making Him our heart’s delight reminds me of Matthew 13:11-12 when Jesus says “The knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven has been given to you … whoever HAS will be given MORE and he/she will have an abundance.”
PRACTICE GRATITUDE
I am learning to practice beginning each prayer with gratitude for all God is and then thank Him for all He does for me. Matthew 6:33 promises if we seek His Kingdom above all else, He will give us everything we need.
I don’t always get it right. But when I’m experiencing a difficult season, if I’ve made it a habit of thanking God for His goodness all along, then I may still hurt but it’s easier for me to see His Light of Hope (Sonlight) shining through the storm for me. And I can always believe in His goodness and trust He will bring me all the way through to the other side even when I don’t understand His methods.
I wanted to share the following five blessings we can be thankful for no matter how this Covid-19 storm is personally touching our lives. I will be adding more to my list. Please add more ummoveable attributes of our God to the top of your list of blessings as He reveals them to you. Put them before anything He can do for you right now.
As you shift your focus and gratitude onto our powerful, rock solid Lord Himself, I pray you will feel His light pierce through your storm cloud and stir some hope in your heart today.
FIVE BLESSINGS WE CAN BE CONSISTENTLY GRATEFUL FOR IN THIS STORM
1. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE.
Heaven has not been rocked by this pandemic. God didn’t have to compete with any other gods (little g) to take His throne, and He can’t be dethroned by anyone or anything (Covid-19) that is screaming loudly for our attention right now.
“The LORD has established (made, prepared, set up, placed, set) His throne in Heaven, and His sovereignty rules over all.” Psalm 103:19 (Verse on Bible Hub)
2. GOD IS FAITHFUL.
Jesus is our steadfast anchor and keeps us from being tossed all over the crashing waves. He is in complete control of our lives no matter what is happening around us. God can’t be taken by surprise. He knew yesterday what we would face today, and He’s already in our ‘tomorrow’ working things out for our good.
”I Am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8 (Verse on Bible Hub)
3. GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE US.
God will never abandon us to figure all this out on our own. He loves us fiercely and will never leave us or fail to help us! As Believers who have not turned our faces away from God’s face, we can find gratitude during hard times when we can see the darkening shadows as a sign of His protective wing sheltering us from the storm cloud.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified (fear, panic, dread, tremble, be terrified, because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (Verse on Bible Hub)
4. GOD IS BIGGER THAN THIS PANDEMIC.
We’ve watched as health officials have scrambled to access the widespread effects of this virus. But there is no way humanly possible to measure how big our God is. Even though this pandemic is worldwide, God is even BIGGER.
“Behold, I Am the LORD, the God of all flesh (mankind, peoples of the world, creature, world, humanity). Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27 (Verse on Bible Hub)
5. GOD’S SPIRIT DWELLS INSIDE US.
2 Corinthians 1:22 says God has set His seal of ownership on us and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Our great big God is standing with us and inside of us. We truly cannot be moved despite this situation and our feelings right now.
This storm will not take Jesus down. And since we are hidden in Christ, this storm has no authority over us either …
“Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved (shaken, defeated, removed, overthrown, upended), but abides (endures, remains, stands, remains firm, stays) forever.”
Psalm 125:1 (Verse on Bible Hub)
In His Word, God has given His children a sneak peak at the end of His story for us and this Covid-19 virus doesn’t have the power to alter it in any way. I pray that even in tough times that my confession will be that my Lord is good. Sweet friend, I pray we will all feel His peace stirring within us today. xo
Finding Gratitude in the Hard Times @ freshgracefortoday.com
Know that the Lord is God. It is He Who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with
thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and
praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures
forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100:3-5 (Passage on Bible Gateway)
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This is great! We do need to be grateful and sometimes that actually takes effort. Thanks for the tips
Thank you Elizabeth! 🙏❤
I knew I had read and commented on this a few months back. But in reading again, what you said here stood out to me this time: “But God dearly loves revealing His heart to those who love Him.”
Thank you so much Summer! I appreciate you … 😘😘😘
Loads of wisdom here, Donna <3 Thank you for this beautiful reminder. I love how you say to "See Him first as my greatest blessing before everything and everyone else, in good times and bad." I believe if we each, as Christians, truly lived our lives this way our world would look much different. I'm so grateful that He is still on the throne and that none of our current circumstances take Him by surprise. He is a good good Father and we can surely rest in His peace.
Tabitha, you are so welcome sweet sister! And thank you for your kind words. I wholeheartedly agree … 😘😘😘
Thank you for sharing these 5 things we can be thankful for.
Thank you Betty … ❤
These are great characteristics of God. We can always be thankful for these things. I find that finding reasons to be grateful in the hard times is actual what helps is better survive those times.
Yes it sure does! Thank you so much! ❤
Finding gratitude can be difficult in busy times too, becaise we often don’t stop to be thankful. Like you, I’m beginning all of my prayers with a time of thanksgiving. I’ve notice that gratitude gets my mindset on the right path.
Yes so true! Gratitude helps align my day to move in the right direction. Thank you Teresa … ❤
Thanks for this post. Gratitude is a habbit everyone should imbibe. The act of gratitude opens doors for more blessings.
Thank you so much Kristie! I appreciate you ..😊
What you share is quite true. I know that I sometimes forget to show gratitude for the simple things in life and the blessings I receive. It is difficult to pull our focus and attention from what is going wrong to being grateful for what we have. It is quite a challenge.
One of my favorite hymns (growing up LDS) is Count your blessings. It opens with this and continues the theme of showing gratitude in hard times:
“When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done. ”
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
It is a challenge for me as well. I love that beautiful hymn. Thank you so much Timothy! 😊
Your five truths are right – God was not surprised by this storm. Unfortunatly there will be different storms ahead and He won’t be shocked by them either!
You are so right. He was not surprised by this pandemic and He won’t be for anything else that might be coming in the future either. Thank you so much Melodie! ❤
I loved all the truths that you shared about who God is. Sometimes it is so easy to forget about who He is and instead focus so much more on ourselves. Really awesome reminders!
Thank you Michelle! You are so right, it is easy for us to forget Who God is and focus instead on ourselves. Praying for us all to find rest in focusing on all He is … 🙏❤
Gratitude is so important to me and I try to teach it to my children as well. I love how you stated that we should open up our prayers in gratitude to God! Love this post!
Thank you so much Mary! I appreciate you … ❤
So much encouragement in a much needed time! God is never surprised or shaken. When our world is built on him, neither are we.
Reminds me of the Scriptures about building our lives on the Rock. Thank you so much Stacey … ❤
Thank you for the very encouraging post! It is important to remember who God is and how He doesn’t change with our uncertainties and fears.
Yes it sure is. Thank you Heather … ❤
I love #4! We can’t forget that God is way bigger than our problems, even one as seemingly huge as this pandemic. Thank you for the reminder!
Thank you so much for stopping by Barbara! Blessings to you … ❤❤❤
[…] via Finding Gratitude in the Hard Times — Fresh Grace for Today […]
Thank you so much for sharing my post … ❤
This is the key! “God is the only thing in life that is untouchable, unmovable, unchangeable.”
Yes! God is my Rock … ❤
God allows things to happen. Nothing is done without HIS permission. I am so thankful for a Great Big God.. and a Savior .. Jesus. Let the storms come, as long as God is in Control. This is an alter call for all of us…
Thank you Barbara! I am so thankful too! ❤
Practicing gratitude is definitely needed especially during times of uncertainty. During difficult seasons, it can be easy to get off track and focus on the negatives. However taking time out to be grateful and knowing that God is with you can help shift those negative feelings to positive ones.
Yes! I can get into a funk pretty easy if I’m not careful. Gratitude definitely helps realign me with Jesus … ❤
I am working on gratitude too. It seems so easy to get caught up in focusing on the negative things, but I’ve leaned how unhappy that makes me.
You’re so right Jeannie. Gratitude definitely works out and strengthens our faith muscles. It’s almost like it is all tied together … ❤
There are so many good truths here. When I began to embrace gratitude, it transformed me from the inside out. I appreciated how you emphasized that we should first be thankful for the immutable aspects of God before we thank Him for what He does. It’s so easy to get those backwards. Blessings, Yolanda
Thank you so much Yolanda. I feel learning to go deeper in gratitude is transforming me from the inside out, too. I like that you said that because now I’m seeing it that when the storms come, the gratitude I’ve been practicing will come up from inside of me rather than be something I grasp for on the outside. Blessings to you too sweet friend … ❤
It’s hard to be thankful in difficult circumstances, but I’ve learned to see any good that is coming out of it, so that I can see the situation through new eyes.
Thank you Susan. I agree, it is very hard in difficult situations. I am learning to find the treasure also in every situation. Blessings to you today … ❤