Can You Show Gratitude in Trying Times?

Psalm 34:1 “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

The human experience of life on this planet offers richness in both the sunshine and the rain. As much as we would prefer to have the sun shining all our days, it is clear that we appreciate our days far more after surviving the storms life will bring. When we are faced with storms, we can find comfort that we are not the first to have faced trying times, nor will we be the last. Through God’s Word, we can draw inspiration from those who have seen the difficulties life will bring and be encouraged to choose a heart status of gratitude and praise even when our hallelujahs are weak. David was the man after God’s heart, and his life was one of miracles but also enormously testing times. David was anointed king as a teenager, but he would not take the throne until nearly twenty years later because another man, Saul, sat as king. Saul became aware that David was to be king, and for most of the time when David awaited the time to become king, he was pursued, hunted, and terrorized by Saul. Despite all of this and other trying times, David could find solace in the Lord and offer gratitude to Him. Just as David found his confidence in God and offered Him praise, we can as well, no matter the situation. Life will bring trying times, but we are always left with the choice of gratitude or bitter feelings. We can draw encouragement from those who have navigated through hard times before and, like them, choose to praise God, keep a good attitude of gratitude, and see that even if it does not make sense now, one day, it will. Can you give gratitude to God in an imperfect situation? If you can, then you are expressing the highest form of faith!