Smoke hangs thickly in the air, making my throat dry and my eyes burn. Looking out my kitchen window, I can’t even see the outline of the hills across town that are usually in plain view. An enormous wildfire rages about 150 miles from my home, but its effects can be detected all around us. People seem heavy hearted, both from the stifling air and the sadness of knowing so many lives and homes have been lost.
And yet, the holiday season is fast approaching. A few days ago I pushed my cart through a store as an employee loaded plump turkeys into a refrigerated display. It feels paradoxical to be preparing for Thanksgiving when there is so much grief and sadness in our world. And yet, expressing thankfulness in times of distress is exactly what the Bible calls us to do.
Throughout the Psalms, we see laments followed by thanksgiving and praise. One of my favorites says, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:5 NIV)
I love the resolve of the downcast Psalmist who says, “I will yet praise him.” It takes effort and intentionality to look beyond our difficult circumstances and to praise God anyway. But the act of giving Him thanks causes us to remember His faithfulness and to rest assured that He’s still in control. The Psalmist didn’t wait until his situation was resolved, but thanked God in the midst of his troubles. He didn’t know how the circumstances would turn out, but he knew he served a good God who deserved praise and thanksgiving, no matter what.
I think there’s a lesson for us in our own trials. Smoky air may obscure my view of the mountains, but it doesn’t mean the mountains have ceased to exist. Similarly, there are seasons in life when God feels far away, when His plans and purposes seem veiled. When we’re not careful, we can let those feelings alter our perception. Fear, uncertainty, or bitterness may cloud our vision and cause us to think He’s not there for us, even though His Word promises He will never leave us or forsake us.
If you’re in a season of personal discouragement or fretting over the latest string of tragedies in our world, it’s time to draw near to God with a thankful heart. Author and teacher Lysa TerKeurst suggests using the following prayer strategy when you’re struggling through a dark time and need God to shed His light on it:
- Thank God for the prayers that have already been answered about the situation. Pay attention to small changes and things you might have taken for granted.
- Thank God for the strength you (and others) are gaining in the process. Thank Him for each time you’ve gone to Him to shed light on your situation. Thank Him for trading your struggle for His strength.
- Thank God for the reality that a black hole isn’t a black whole. The whole isn’t all bad—there are still some good things happening despite the hard ones. Thank Him for specific things going on in your life or in the world around you that are still good.*
Turning our laments into prayers of Thanksgiving reminds us of God’s goodness and enables us to reaffirm our trust in Him. When we trade our struggles and fears for His strength and hope, our minds are renewed and our spirits are rejuvenated. I’ve found this to be true personally as I’ve journaled prayers using Lysa’s strategy. Over the past few months it has given me clear direction for praying through specific challenges in my life.
This Thanksgiving, stand firm in the face of hopelessness and discouragement. Instead of focusing on what’s wrong in your life or in the world, boldly proclaim, “I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
Listen to Ellie Holcomb’s song “Find You Here” and make it your prayer of defiant thankfulness in spite of difficult times.
*The three points above are adapted from Lysa TerKeurst’s Finding I Am: How Jesus Fully Satisfies the Cry of Your Heart, Lifeway Press 2017, page 59.