What do you do when Thanksgiving rolls around, and you’re not sure how grateful you feel? As this year draws to a close and leaves turn yellow and red, many of us may be struggling to give thanks. Maybe the challenges of the year behind us make it more difficult to identify blessings like good times, material provision, and health, things we can easily give thanks for.
However, a friend challenged me to look back at this year and give thanks not only for the blessings, but also for the difficult and painful circumstances.
How do we learn the secret of giving thanks in our trials?
A few years ago, I heard a simple sermon which made me think the prophet Jeremiah had learned the secret. Our pastor spoke from Lamentations 3:21-23, and his message impacted me so much that I still remember it:
Our pastor spoke about finding hope in discouragement, but to be honest, I can’t remember much of the message. What impacted me was that throughout the sermon, we stopped—maybe 8 to 10 times—and repeated together:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.”
It wasn’t the sermon that gave me hope, it was the pure and simple word of God.
Each time we repeated the words, I felt faith rising inside me. As we said them together, I looked at the faces around me. I could see Richard in his red plaid shirt and baseball cap, alone because his dear, elderly wife could no longer come to church. I saw Jane, who had just lost her husband to cancer, and many others in less-than-hopeful circumstances.
But there they were, brave saints declaring God’s steadfast love and great faithfulness.
No matter what situation we’re in, God’s love and faithfulness never leave us.
We always have something to be thankful for.
Jeremiah had discovered a secret. He had many reasons to be discouraged. Israel had fallen to the Assyrians, Jerusalem had been destroyed, and Jeremiah himself even spent time in jail. Yet he penned the words, “This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope…”
Maybe the secret lies in calling God’s love and faithfulness to mind.
In all circumstances, we can give thanks for God’s love.
Because we know He loves us, we can trust God to work all things for our good and His glory. His love surrounds us and fills our hearts more than anything we could find in this world.
In any trial, we can thank God for His faithfulness.
Even when we do not understand why God allows our circumstances, we know He is faithful. As we remember His many acts of faithful provision and grace this past year, our hope grows. God will continue to be faithful.
Friend, if you’re facing disappointment or discouragement, how about declaring these words again with me right now?
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.”
As the year draws to a close, let’s call God’s love and faithfulness to mind often. Gratitude and hope will grow in our hearts as we whisper the words before bed, read them in the morning, and pray them on our lunch hour:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.”
Now it’s your turn: Are you struggling to feel grateful at Thanksgiving this year?
Are you facing the challenges of life on an empty tank? Need help renewing your relationship with God?
AMEN😀
This was a really good post for me to read as I am reading one of your books doing a little journaling and trying the word for the day exercise. I have to say I don’t read every day so I don’t have a word every day but I did go out and look for something to help me during my quiet time and I found a coffee cup that has the word grateful on it.This word seems to come up quite often during my quiet time and again in this post so thank you for your books and your post it is a big encouragement for me.
Charles
Thanks for sharing that, Charles! I love that about the coffee cup. It sounds crazy, but a few years ago, God really spoke to me through a cup a friend handed me at her house. “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me” is what it said. And I keep thinking I need to look for one of those cups for myself! So glad you have been feeling grateful.
I enjoy reading through quickly. I`m thankful for the privilege of reading the Word of God.
Did you see where I wrote asking about Carlos Magiral in Turkey? (I forgot his last name)
Also someone asked me about Chepito`s eye problem.
I asked about Andrès. If he is in France teaching?
Hi Helen, so good to hear from you. I will answer you via email. 🙂 Hugs.
Thank you, Betsy, for your steadfast encouragement. I have been following you for over a year now and I always find your posts to be just what I need at that moment. A blessed Thanksgiving to you, no matter how it turns out!
Thanks so much for your kind encouragement, Karen. I appreciate you! A blessed Thanksgiving to you as well! <3