TO HEAR AUDIO CLICK BELOW:
Gratitude in the midst of sometimes overwhelming challenges can seem elusive. But I have found it is the fundamental basis for peace and hope regardless of the circumstances. It seems that gratitude brings perspective whether we are in the center of great success or intense pain and abject conditions.
Peace and hope are no strangers to either condition in life, but they both sit on the shoulders of gratitude. Great success can be hollow, always wanting more when not established and grounded in gratitude. The converse is also true. Some have seen horrific challenges and conditions, but peace and hope surpass all comprehension when gratitude is at the center. People from both ends of this spectrum are often called heroes.
I am not a hero, but I have found that gratitude has been at the core of my receiving God’s grace and mercy amid both success and deep invasive pain and challenges. I have found hope and peace beyond my ability to explain or sometimes comprehend.
God is faithful; of this, I can guarantee. But often, we are unwilling to open our hearts and minds to receive from God. Sometimes we hang on so tightly to what we hoped for that we are unable to see God’s gifts of grace and mercy, peace and hope. We sometimes are not grateful for the spot in time that we find ourselves because we had a different plan and expectation for our lives.
But God. When we think we have no capacity left, He gives us the ability to allow gratitude to supplant grief, bitterness, anger, or resentment. Through gratitude, He provides us with the grace to release and let go, forgive, and heal a broken heart.
It is in gratefulness that we can be at peace deep in our hearts without fear and worry. Paul encourages the Philippians and even us today that peace is real and powerful.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
God is faithful.
It is only through gratitude that we understand a microcosm of just how faithful He is. We see only through colored lenses God’s working hands in our lives. But gratitude allows us to see more clearly His love and grace.
Peace and hope are the byproducts of gratitude, not the other way around.
The root of gratitude for Christ’s followers is Jesus Christ in all He has done and all He represents The Love and Faithfulness of God. Jesus left His place in heaven and came to earth, taking on human flesh, and chose to be a reflection of His – our Heavenly Father. He gave His life for all of humanity’s sin. No man or spirit in heaven or on earth took His life. He chose to be the sacrifice reconciling us with God. His love was so great that He didn’t leave us alone but sent the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us. He gives us strength, wisdom, and grace when we need it the most when we are willing to hear His still small voice.
If God did nothing more than what He has already done, we have plenty of reasons to be grateful.
Morning Quiet Time
For years I have prayed, giving all of me to all of Him before I get out of bed. It centers me and my focus for the day. I don’t always stay there, but I find the day becomes more about God, more about the people He puts in my life for that day. But I began to consider integrating gratitude into my day better and keeping my focus throughout the day.
A morning practice of gratitude was the solution. Starting the day before getting out of bed during my prayer time and saying five things for which I’m grateful. It sets how I will view the day and will be the basis for my response to people and circumstances. It’s incredible how it shifts things from what I want or need to what God has already done in my life. It’s like remembering the mountains climbed and all of the help along the way. Certainty and confidence come from knowing God has always been there for me in a variety of ways.
There is a song “Never Once” by Matt Redman that says it perfectly. Here are the words:
Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us
Kneeling on this battleground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us
Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy, our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
Kneeling on this battleground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us
Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy, our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy, our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are, You are faithful, God, You are faithful
Gratitude gives us the ability to see His faithfulness. In this place, we will find peace and hope.
