A Prayer for Gratefulness Amid Trials - Your Daily Prayer - November 16

A Prayer for Gratefulness Amid Trials
By Keri Eichberger

Bible Reading:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7

Listen or Read Below:

One of the last things anyone wants to do in the thick of their suffering is to be thankful for it. 

It’s been almost 20 years. My husband and I were two months shy of our first wedding anniversary and had the unexpected privilege of setting our sights on the strong, healthy heartbeat of our first baby. But a few weeks later, the devastation hit. Ultrasound number two would be haunted by a still image of a tiny human form, with budding arms and legs, yet no longer with a pulsing heart. Many years have now passed, and God has given me an abundance of new blessings, but I’ll never forget the pain that filled my soul in that season. Yet, I can also now confess what definitely didn’t fill me through it all. Gratitude. I didn’t look to the Lord and thank him through my suffering. Instead, I became consumed by the ache of emptiness, which led to a desperate desire to rid myself of the hurt. 

I hurried on with life, clinging to control to replace the loss. And what I desperately needed, I was single-handedly depriving myself of. Peace. I needed peace, but was self-inducing the exact opposite. Stress, anxiousness, and extreme unease. Throughout my trial, I didn’t pause to thank God for the gift of the new bond that had been created with my husband. I didn’t express gratitude for witnessing a life created. And I didn’t soak in thankfulness for God’s presence. All heart postures I now know would have offered me the ever-present blessing of his peace. But rather than working up peace, I was working up anxiety. That spiraled and swelled, stealing all my joy. Provoking more control, more striving, and more chaos within.   

Can you relate to any of this? Have you been in a situation that was so hurtful or hard that the last thing on your mind was to praise God anyway? I get it. It’s not easy at all. Yet I’ve witnessed something repeatedly in my life, and maybe if you think back, you can testify to the same. When life throws really difficult things at us, when we find ourselves drenched in turmoil or grief, we can become so desperate for peace that we don’t even notice that’s what we need. And if we do acknowledge this need, we easily forget where it comes from and how to find it. 

Philippians gives us the answer to finding the fruit of peace in chapter 4, verses 6-7. It tells us not to be anxious about anything. It tells us to pray and present our requests to God. And honestly, the latter reminder we are quick to remember. But there is another part I am fast to forget—and maybe you can relate. It says, with thanksgiving. Don’t dismiss the direction to offer your gratitude to God. It is our petitions and prayers of gratitude that guard our hearts and minds with peace. The peace we are starved for. 

I’ve now lived a lot of years since that particular season of suffering. I’ve learned a lot about God and his goodness in and through all things. And I’ve learned to be more grateful because he has given me so much more than I’ve ever lost. But I’ve also learned how not to walk through suffering. Not striving, stressing, or forcing and manipulating for the sake of making things go my way—while leaving the peace I long for in the dust. But instead, looking for God in the hard, and taking my hurt to him. Never forgetting to acknowledge and thank him for every small gift and blessing he offers along the way. 

Gratitude through our trials reaffirms that God is working. That there is goodness and purpose in our pain. And this confidence offers strength and the peace to persevere. Gratitude is how to keep peace. The peace that transcends all understanding. Peace that guards our hearts and minds. Peace that reassures you, God’s got you, God is good, and that his goodness will keep following you. My season was marked by stress and control and the shutting out of people and, worst of all, God. And in doing that, I shut out peace. 

So, whether you are in a season of suffering, uncertainty, or simply lacking a little peace, thank him. Thank him in your trial. Thank him that he is there, that he cares, and that he will continue to carry you.  

Let’s Pray:

Father God,

You are my ever-present peace. And though I can become consumed with control, worry, or whatever it is I wish were different, still I know you are there. You are there with perfect peace and boundless blessings, and I am so grateful. Lord, help me acknowledge your presence. Help me see your goodness. And help me never forget to express my gratitude to you. You are the giver of all good things; you never stop pouring them out over my life, and I praise you for your presence and peace that transcends all understanding.

In your Almighty Name, Amen.

If you liked what you read, I think you will love my latest book, Win Over Worry: Conquer What Shakes You and Soar With the One Who Overcomes. You can find it on Amazon or your favorite online retail site. I hope it blesses you!

Join the conversation! Share how today’s devotional spoke to you on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Maryviolet 

Keri Eichberger is a Jesus-loving Kentucky girl. She is married to her best friend, Mike, and has a full house of five kids. After years of writing for an online audience, Keri became ordained through Southeast Christian Church, giving her life to full-time ministry. She is the author of Win Over Worry: Conquer What Shakes You and Soar With the One Who Overcomes, and has a passion for sharing faith-filled encouragement through devotional writing. Connect with Keri at KeriEichberger.com or Instagram.

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