Give Thanks in ALL Circumstances

It’s easy to be thankful in the good times. But, what about the bad times? What about hard seasons? Seasons of loss? Times of waiting. Times of uncertainty? What’s the right attitude for a Christian to have in those times?

Well, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

God’s will for you is to be thankful. Have an attitude of gratitude all the time.

This doesn’t mean you have to be thankful FOR all things. But, you can be thankful IN the midst of all circumstances. Even the hard ones. Even the painful ones.

Why? Why does God want us to have a thankful heart IN all circumstances?  

Because gratitude lifts your eyes off our problems and fixes them on God’s character. By choosing to be thankful, we shift our focus from waiting for solutions to experiencing God’s peace during challenges. And, it’s the only way to experience joy and peace that lasts.

In the Bible, the prophet Habakkuk was going through tough times. He said, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17–18 NIV).

Habakkuk wasn’t thanking God for all the things that had gone wrong in his life. What was his cause of gratitude? “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

The Lord himself was the cause of Habakkuk’s gratitude. He wasn’t just grateful for what God had done (and God has done countless things for you to be thankful for); he was grateful for who God is—faithful, loving, and good even when life isn’t.

No matter how bad things seem, you can always thank God simply for being God.

Gratitude doesn’t mean denying your pain; it means trusting God’s presence and purpose in the middle of it. And God has promised that even when things don’t go your way, he can work them together for your good.

I don’t know what trials you may be facing right now, but God does—and he loves you deeply. He is with you through his Holy Spirit, giving you strength and peace. So choose gratitude on the days you feel like it—and especially on the days you don’t. Because gratitude not only grows your faith—it opens the door for God’s peace to guard your heart in every season.