This is something I wrestle with every day. Life can be heavy—grief for those we've lost, mental and physical struggles, challenges that seem insurmountable. In those moments, it feels almost impossible to bow my head and say, "Thank You, Lord."
Yet, even in the depths of my uncertainty, I am reminded of Paul’s words:
"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, KJV)
Notice that Paul doesn’t say to give thanks for everything, but *in* everything. We’re not expected to be thankful for pain or suffering. We’re simply called to find a way to give thanks *in* the midst of it. That’s the challenge for me: finding gratitude when my heart is broken and I feel lost.
There are days when I feel overwhelmed by life’s
struggles—days when I don’t even know where to begin with gratitude. And yet, I
feel God calling me to try. In these moments, I turn to Him and ask for help:
"Lord, I don’t know how to be thankful today, but You know my heart. Help me to see Your grace, even when I can’t understand it. Help me to trust You."
This prayer reminds me that I’m not alone in my struggle.
God knows our weaknesses, and He is patient with us. We’re told in Psalm 34:18,
*“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be
of a contrite spirit.”* When my heart feels shattered, I take comfort in
knowing that He is close, offering His presence even when I can't find the
words to give thanks.
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I don’t have to understand the path ahead. I just need to trust that God sees it clearly, even when I cannot. My gratitude, then, isn’t always for the circumstances I’m in, but for the knowledge that God is with me in those circumstances. He sees the full picture, while I can only see a part.
There’s a beautiful verse in Philippians that reminds me to press on, even when I’m unsure of what lies ahead:
"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."*(Philippians 3:14, )
I don’t always know how to press on, but God gives me the strength to continue. And when I can’t find the words to give thanks, I can at least offer my heart to Him, trusting that He knows what I cannot.
In the darkest times, when it feels impossible to be thankful, I am reminded of Job’s unwavering faith. In the midst of unimaginable suffering, Job declared:
"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him...* (Job 13:15)
Job’s circumstances were devastating, yet he still found it within himself to trust God. He didn’t understand why he was suffering, but he trusted that God’s plan was greater than his pain. That trust, in itself, is a form of gratitude—a recognition that God is sovereign, even when life feels out of control.
Ultimately, my gratitude doesn’t have to be perfect. God doesn’t expect me to always know how to be thankful. Instead, He invites me to come to Him, broken as I am, and rely on His grace. It is His grace that sustains me when I don’t know how to press on. It is His grace that carries me when I don’t have the strength to give thanks.
And so, I pray:
"Lord, help me to be thankful, even when I don’t know how. Help me to trust You, even when the path is unclear. And help me to press on, knowing that You hold all things in Your hands."
Gratitude in the midst of hardship isn’t easy, but with God’s help, I believe we can find a way to give thanks, even when we don’t know how. After all, it is in our weakest moments that His strength is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9).
In those moments of weakness, may we find the courage to
offer up even the smallest glimmer of gratitude, trusting that God sees and
understands broken
hearts.
I know that Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior felt heartbreak 💔 himself as the Word tells us in John that He wept. Those around Him thought it was because he loved His friend Lazarus who had died. He wept because he had been doing the works of His Father for years and still the men that He had created did not believe that He was the Son of God with power over life and death. Those of us who are believers have the power to overcome just as He did. We are told to be thankful in all things. Even when our hearts are broken we have so much to thank our Savior for. We have been blessed with the salvation of our souls if the Lord has saved us from our sins, we can thank him that he has promised to be with us always, we can be thankful that He has promised that He will come back for us, we can be thankful for all the promises of which the Word of God is full. No matter our pain, loss, grief, or earthly problems, we can give thanks to Him in it all because we have the strength and power of Jesus Christ to overcome. We have so much more to be thankful for in Him than we have to sorrow about.
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