A few weeks ago, my wife and I were held up at knifepoint. Our phones were stolen, and we were left shaken by the experience. That night, as I bowed my head to pray over our supper, gratitude felt far away. It’s easy to give thanks when life is easy, but in hardship, gratitude feels like a discipline rather than a feeling. Yet Scripture calls us to this very thing: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Suffering is not outside of God’s plan. Paul reminds us in Acts 14:22, “we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Job’s story echoes this truth. Though stripped of family, wealth, and health, he declared: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21). Gratitude does not deny pain, but it shifts our eyes to God’s presence within it. When we look closely, we can find reasons to give thanks—for protection, for provision, for the strength to endure, and ultimately, for salvation through Christ. Gratitude in hardship becomes worship, declaring that God is good even when life is not. What difficult place in your life might be an opportunity for thanksgiving today? Open Bible – https://bit.ly/1Th5v18, https://bit.ly/Act14v22, bit.ly/Job1v21 (Russel S)
