Sis, I want you to do something. Before you keep reading, grab a place to take some notes and I want you to ask yourself: what am I grateful for? Take at least 5 minutes and write down everything that you are grateful for.
We’ve all been in seasons that were hard to understand and we didn’t know how God was going to get us through it. Or maybe you are in a season like that right now. If we’re honest, in some situations we feel like we are on shaky ground and we can’t seem to catch our balance. But I want to encourage you with this:
Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Notice what this scripture says…in EVERY situation. This means that, regardless of the circumstances, we have to be thankful. We must REJOICE, PRAY AND GIVE THANKS.
Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].
Philippians 4:4-7
When life gets shaky, the way we shift to a posture of gratefulness is through PRAYER and PETITION (asking) in EVERY situation! We give God our problems and He gives us His peace; this is the exchange that happens when we pray and leave our requests at the feet of our Father. So if you are going through something right now, I encourage you to seek the face of your Heavenly Father and ask Him to help you through it. Make your requests known to Him and trust that He is faithful to guide you in the valley.
Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
Hebrews 13:15