4 Great Reasons to be Grateful This Thanksgiving
2023 Jean E. JonesThanksgiving is just around the corner, and it’s a day many people ponder reasons to be grateful. But how do you give thanks when life hurts?
Moreover, Philippians 4:4 tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” It’s one thing to rejoice in the things we’re glad the Lord has done. But how do we take rejoicing to the next level—rejoicing in the midst of suffering?
This is important for several reasons.
- Philippians 4:4 tells us to rejoice always.
- Being grateful stops the grumbling and complaining that the Bible warns us against (Philippians 2:14).
- The very act of rejoicing plants joy in us.
- Being grateful reminds us of God’s past good care and that brings peace over knowing his good care will continue.
For example, in January, my husband Clay was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. We immediately began praying Philippians 4:4-7 together daily—sometimes twice a day.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4–7
We’d recite “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Then we’d take turns rejoicing in the Lord before continuing to recite and pray the rest of the passage. Being grateful before presenting our requests calmed our hearts. While we no longer pray this passage together daily, we each continue to pray it when disappointment derails our peace.
But what can we rejoice in when confronting dreaded news?
Here are four reasons to be grateful no matter what season of life you’re experiencing.
1) Be Grateful for Answered Prayers
Glorify the Lord with me;
Psalm 34:3-4
let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
The book of Psalms has many thanksgiving songs that praise God for answered prayers, giving us examples to follow. Additionally, Jesus showed that he expects God’s people to praise God for answered prayers (Luke 17:17-18). Indeed, we can rejoice spontaneously as we see prayers answered. We can also rejoice deliberately by writing down our requests so we can later review them to mark those that God has answered and give thanks.
Indeed, just this morning I turned to where I’d written my prayer request, “Let insurance authorize liver radiation,” and wrote in the column next to it, “Yes! We got the approval on 10/31.”
2) Be Grateful for God’s Daily Provision
Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
Psalm 147:7-9
make music to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with clouds;
he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.
He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.
We can rejoice in every need that God meets: paychecks, gifts, meals, clothing, housing, and healing. We can rejoice in every delight: family, friends, bird songs, sunsets, flowers, and rain. We can rejoice that God gives us everything we have, including our strength, intelligence, and knowledge. We can start a habit of rejoicing in the Lord for every blessing the moment it arrives.
When the weather permits, I walk after lunch and pray. I rejoice in the weather that permits walking, in the blue flowers tumbling from a neighbor’s tree, and in the Anna’s hummingbirds flitting among its branches.
3) Be Grateful for Faith Purifiers
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1:6-7
Sometimes God answers our prayers “No.” Sometimes we go through heartbreaking loss. But even in those times, we can rejoice because we know God is good and he will work good out of our current difficulties (Romans 8:28). When we face trials, we can rejoice that they prove our faith genuine, they purify our faith and motives, and they will bring us praise, glory, and honor when we go before Jesus at the end of times.
When we face difficulty, we can rejoice that God is building our character. When embarrassed, we can thank God for developing in us humility. In weakness, we can rejoice that God will either strengthen us or be our strength. Character lasts forever; difficulties do not.
4) Be Grateful for God’s Eternal Promises
Praise the Lord, my soul;
Psalm 103:1-5
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
This psalm reminds us, “Forget not all his benefits.” Forgetting God’s benefits makes us impatient, unfruitful, faithless, and fearful. It discourages. And forgetting makes us grumble and argue, like the Israelites in the desert.
Instead, we can remember and rejoice in God’s benefits, including his eternal promises. We can rejoice in his promise to forgive (1 John 1:9). When we recover from illness, we can give thanks for health and for our future imperishable body (1 Corinthians 15:42). Redemption is something for which we can always be grateful: he’s adopted us as his own and he promises eternal life. We can rejoice that he crowns us with love and compassion, and that he satisfies our desires with good things. We can give thanks that he will reward us for our faithful service.
In all circumstances, we can rejoice that one day God will resurrect our bodies and take us to a new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1). We will reign with him in his kingdom. And there will be no more mourning, crying, or pain (21:4). This life of hardship ends, but the next life of glory is eternal.
Next Step
Get started today by giving thanks for something in each of these categories. Download this handy prayer guide to remind you of four great reasons to be grateful: Reasons to Be Grateful Prayer Guide.
This article was adapted from Discovering Joy in Philippians. This is an affiliate link for which I receive a commission at no cost to you.
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Books You Might Like
- Discovering Joy in Philippians co-authored by me, Pam Farrel, and Karla Dornacher
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