“Be Thankful in the Midst of Adversity”.

Being thankful reminds us of our continual dependence upon the Lord. He despises a spirit of independence that denies our need of Him, exalts selfsufficiency, and leads to ingratitude. In reality, we are all dependent upon Him for every breath we take but may not realize it until we face a situation that we are powerless to overcome or change. Adversity shows us our weakness and drives us to the Lord.

Gratitude helps us trust the Lord when we don’t understand why. Although God hasn’t promised to explain why we go through pain or hardship, He has promised to be with us and enable us to face it.

Thanksgiving focuses our attention on God rather than our circumstances. If we fix our eyes on the difficulty, the pain becomes unbearable, peace eludes us, and the situation seems hopeless. But thanksgiving shifts our focus to the Lord and reminds us what we can know for certain.

Gratitude energizes us physically, emotionally, and spiritually in difficult times. Pain, trouble, and disappointment drain us, but trusting God, focusing on Him, and thanking Him revitalize us. It’s His presence within us that renews us physically, spiritually, and emotionally so we can keep going.

His peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).