Can You Be Grateful to God When Life Is Hard
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When Being Thankful Is Hard — November Series, Week 1
Can I be thankful when life is not what I hoped for?
This is a relevant question when we consider what is happening around us—and what may be happening within our own homes.
For some of us, the pressure comes from trying to make our income cover the bills. For others, it is uncertainty about work, concern for our children, or the weight of watching suffering and conflict unfold around the world.
Technology has opened doors, but changes in the workplace can leave us wondering where we fit. Our children are navigating a social world where comparison, opinions, and outside influences are always within reach.
Then there are the private struggles: the relationship that has not healed, the prayer that seems unanswered, the life we thought we would have by now.
When so much feels uncertain, the instruction in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 can be difficult to receive:
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:18, KJV
In everything? Even when circumstances are harsh? Even when we are disappointed, afraid, or still hurting?
Yes, we can give thanks in difficult circumstances. But thanksgiving does not require us to call those circumstances good.
What Does It Mean to Give Thanks in All Circumstances?
Paul’s instruction does not ask us to celebrate cruelty, betrayal, illness, or loss. We can name what is wrong and ask God for help while still thanking Him for His presence, mercy, and faithfulness.
Notice that this instruction appears alongside the calls to rejoice and pray continually in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18. Thanksgiving belongs within an ongoing relationship with God. We bring our needs to Him, depend on Him, and learn to recognize His goodness along the way.
We may still need to grieve. We may need practical help, wise counsel, or a change in our circumstances. None of that prevents us from giving thanks.
Sometimes thanksgiving begins with a simple prayer: “Lord, I do not understand what is happening, but thank You that I can bring it to You.”
At Marah, the Need Was Real—and God Was Still Present
The children of Israel give us a clear picture of how quickly difficulty can overshadow our memory of God’s faithfulness.
They had witnessed His deliverance from Egypt. They had seen Him make a way through the Red Sea. Yet Exodus 15:22–25 tells us that, after traveling three days without finding water, they reached Marah and discovered that its water was bitter.
Imagine their disappointment. They were thirsty. They needed water, and the water before them could not meet that need.
Their hardship was real. But their response was to murmur against Moses: “What shall we drink?”
Moses cried out to the Lord. God showed him a tree, which he cast into the water, and the water became sweet.
The God who had brought them through the sea was still able to provide for them at Marah.
It is easy to read their story and wonder how they could forget so quickly. Then I have to examine my own heart. How often have I seen God make a way, only to approach the next difficulty as though I have no evidence of His faithfulness?
Their experience reminds us to bring our present need to the God who has already shown Himself faithful.
Let God’s Character Guide How You See Your Circumstances
This is the thought I keep returning to: when difficult times come, remember the One who is above the situation.
We must face what is happening and take the steps available to us. But our circumstances cannot tell us everything about who God is.
People change. Situations change. Seasons change. The Lord remains faithful. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The One we trusted when life felt settled is still worthy of our trust when life becomes uncertain.
Romans 8:28 assures those who love God and are called according to His purpose that He works all things together for good. It does not say that every event is good. The following verse points to His purpose of shaping us into the image of His Son.
We may not receive an immediate explanation or the outcome we hoped for. Yet we can trust that our circumstances have not placed us beyond His care or His power to work.
Joseph: God Was With Him in the Places He Never Chose
I keep returning to Joseph because parts of his story align with my own.
Joseph experienced betrayal within his family. His brothers stripped him of his coat, threw him into an empty pit, and sold him into slavery. Later, after serving faithfully in Potiphar’s house, he was falsely accused and imprisoned.
He had been a favored son. Now he was far from home, living through circumstances he had not chosen.
Scripture does not tell us that Joseph enjoyed those experiences. It does tell us that the Lord was with him—in Potiphar’s house and in prison (Genesis 39:2, 21).
Years later, Joseph told his brothers:
“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good …” — Genesis 50:20, KJV
Joseph could recognize God’s work without excusing his brothers’ actions. What they intended was evil. Yet God worked through the circumstances to place Joseph where he could help preserve many lives.
His story gives us reason to trust God with the parts of our lives we would never have chosen. We cannot assume that our story will unfold exactly as Joseph’s did, but we can trust the same faithful God.
David: Questions and Trust Can Exist in the Same Prayer
Psalm 13 begins with David asking, “How long?” He feels forgotten. He is sorrowful and longs for God to answer.
Although the psalm does not identify the specific event behind his words, David’s wider story includes long seasons of waiting and danger. He knew what it was to live with a promise that had not yet fully unfolded.
But notice where his prayer takes him:
“But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” — Psalm 13:5–6, KJV
David begins with questions and ends by expressing trust and a determination to sing. The psalm records no change in his outward circumstances between those words.
His attention turns toward God’s mercy and the goodness he has known.
That encourages me. We do not have to hide our questions before we approach God. We can bring them into His presence and, even there, remember reasons to trust Him.
Related Reading: Does His Silence Mean He Doesn’t Want Me?
Habakkuk: “Yet I Will Rejoice”
Habakkuk also brought difficult questions to God. He struggled with violence, injustice, and the judgment God revealed was coming.
By the final chapter, the prophet still anticipates hardship. In Habakkuk 3:17–19, he describes a devastating picture: no blossoms on the fig tree, no fruit on the vines, failed crops, and empty livestock pens.
These were threats to food and livelihood. Yet he declares:
“Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” — Habakkuk 3:18, KJV
His confidence rests in the Lord, whom he identifies as his strength.
Habakkuk’s words show us that joy in God can exist alongside trembling about what lies ahead. We can be honest about what we fear and still choose to place our trust in Him.
How to Practice Thanksgiving When Life Is Hard
Paul writes in Romans 5:3–5 that tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces proven character, and character produces hope. He connects that hope to God’s love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
He is describing what God can produce as we endure hardship in relationship with Him. Suffering does not automatically make us stronger, and this passage does not require us to remain in harmful situations.
As we depend on God, we can begin practicing thanksgiving in small, honest ways:
- Tell God what hurts. Begin with the truth about your circumstances and feelings.
- Remember a specific act of His faithfulness. Recall a time He sustained you, provided help, or gave you strength to continue.
- Name one gift you can recognize today. It may be a supportive person, a meal, needed rest, or an opportunity to begin again.
- Thank Him for who He is. His mercy and faithfulness remain reasons for thanksgiving when answers are still unfolding.
- Take the next practical step. Ask for support, seek counsel, or attend to a responsibility you can manage today.
You do not need an impressive list. Start with what you can honestly say.
You Can Be Thankful While You Are Still Healing
I am not telling you that your circumstances are easy or that your pain is not real. I am encouraging you to trust God’s character and His ability to bring good out of what has caused you sorrow.
You can cry and give thanks. You can ask questions and remain faithful. You can acknowledge disappointment while remembering that God has not left you.
Life may not be what you hoped for right now. But the Lord is still present, and His work in your life is not finished.
What is one thing you can thank Him for today, even while you are trusting Him with what remains unresolved?
A Prayer for When Thanksgiving Is Difficult
Father, You know the places where my life is different from what I hoped for. You see the pressure, disappointment, and questions I carry. Help me bring them honestly to You. Remind me of Your faithfulness, and open my eyes to the goodness I may be overlooking today. Thank You that I do not have to face this season alone. Teach me to trust You and give thanks while I wait. In Jesus’ name, amen.
If the account of Marah speaks to the season you are in, my book, From Marah to Rest: How God Heals the Bitter Places of the Soul, explores how God meets us in the bitter places and leads us toward healing.
You are also welcome to explore the Healing Resource Library for biblical encouragement and practical reflection as you continue your journey.
