It is not easy to feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and thanksgiving when you’re going through a trial. Many years ago, I pleaded for God to resurrect my dead marriage. I prayed each day, repeatedly asking for the same thing.

Then, early one morning, just as I began to open my mouth to pray, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “Come, not asking anything, but praise.”

The words halted me and shifted my focus from asking God to do what I wanted Him to do to praising Him for what He had already done. It takes quietness before God and reflecting on what He has already done for gratitude to spring forth from the depths of your heart.

Giving thanks empowers us to overcome anything that comes our way. Life can be challenging, but God is always good. And if we look hard enough, we will see His goodness.

There is always a reason to give God praise, but we need our eyes to be opened to see God’s blessings all around us. Before long, I experienced a miracle in my marriage.

In your own painful places, I urge you to look to Psalm 100 for guidance. It is a Psalm of thanksgiving. It offers us a picture of a heart attitude approaching God in prayer.

First, we are to worship the Lord with gladness and come before him singing with joy (v. 2). Secondly, we are to enter his gates with thanksgiving and go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name (v.4). Why? Because the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation (v.5).

Thanksgiving and praise have less to do with our hardships and more to do with our faith.

Approaching God with a thankful heart is giving Him what He truly deserves.

*For deeper reflection, listen to Psalm 100.