Be Thankful in Every Season
This past Sunday our pastor preached on the importance of giving thanks in everything, not necessarily for everything. It was a reminder that real thankfulness is not limited to the good moments or the easy seasons. That thought stayed with me, and as we approach Thanksgiving, I wanted to reflect a little more on what Scripture teaches about gratitude in the middle of real life, not just at the edges of it.
Thanksgiving gives us a natural moment to pause and take inventory of our lives, but Scripture calls believers to something deeper than seasonal gratitude. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul writes:
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
That verse is easy to quote and much harder to live. Paul does not say to give thanks for everything. There are things in life that are painful, confusing, or even heartbreaking. God never asks us to celebrate sin, trouble, sickness, or grief. Instead, Paul says to give thanks in everything. That small word makes a big difference.
Giving thanks in everything means this:
We look for God’s faithfulness even when the situation isn’t good.
We recognize His presence even when the path is hard.
We acknowledge His blessings even when burdens feel heavy.
We trust His purpose even when we don’t yet understand it.
This kind of thankfulness isn’t about pretending everything is perfect. It’s about remembering that God is still good when life isn’t. It’s about anchoring our hearts in who He is rather than what we feel. Gratitude in difficult seasons is not denial of the bad situation. It’s dependence on God to help you through.
Throughout Scripture, we see this kind of thanksgiving modeled again and again:
David praised God while hiding in caves in Psalm 57:1–3:
“1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
3 He shall send from heaven, and save me…”
Daniel prayed with thanksgiving even under threat of death in Daniel 6:10:
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
Paul and Silas sang hymns in a prison cell in Acts 16:25:
“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.”
Jesus gave thanks before feeding the multitudes in John 6:1:
“And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples…”
Jesus even gave thanks before going to the cross in Matthew 26:27:
“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them…”
Thankfulness in hard places doesn’t change God, but it changes us. It keeps our hearts tender. It fights bitterness before it can take root. It pulls our focus upward rather than inward.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, take time to thank God for the obvious blessings, but also look deeper. Where has He sustained you? Where has He carried you? Where has He provided strength when you felt empty? Those quiet mercies are just as real as the ones that come wrapped in joy.
This week, let’s practice the kind of gratitude Paul described: not a gratitude that ignores reality, but one that sees God’s hand in reality. Because even in the hardest seasons, God is worthy of our thanks.
