Gratitude in Chaos: Training Your Heart for Thankfulness

Part 1 of our series, Thankfulness within the Everyday

It’s November, and you know what that means. Turkey, pumpkin pie, and a whole lot of talk about being thankful. My prayer is that this series won’t just check a box for us as a few messages that fit the season. My hope is that by the end, we’ll have a fresh outlook on what it means to be thankful, along with a deeper expression of gratitude as we go about our days.

So let’s start right where most of us live: in the chaos.

Let me say this up front. Thankfulness admits that life can be challenging at times. What gratitude does for us is help us notice the presence of GOD, His care, His mercy, and His grace, as we make our way through the mess. Swiss theologian Karl Barth put it beautifully:

“Grace and gratitude belong together, like heaven and earth. Grace evokes gratitude, like the voice and echo.”

GOD’s grace speaks, and our gratitude echoes back. Here are four ways to train your heart for that echo.

1. Be honest and call out the chaos

Go ahead and name it. Whatever the stress, nag, or pressure is that you’re carrying right now, name it to yourself. It could be sickness, a conflict, family troubles, or work challenges. It could even be something as simple as the dirty dishes that always seem to be sitting in the sink. (Is it just me?)

Now look at this:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” Psalm 46:1-3

Isn’t that beautiful? The psalmist sees the chaos. He sees the roaring water and the trembling mountains. And he also sees the power and goodness of GOD right in the middle of it.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.”

Faith looks straight at the roaring waters and gives GOD thanks for who He is and for His presence through all of it. So when trouble comes, proclaim His Word over it.

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble” (Nahum 1:7).

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word” (Psalm 119:114).

We find peace when we simply take the time to proclaim and pause.

2. Before you try to fix it, remember who GOD is

Our thankfulness can’t wait until our circumstances change. We were never alone in our circumstances, and we never will be. For those of us in Christ Jesus, we are sealed with this promise:

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6

Whether you see something starting to brew, or it smashes you in the face out of nowhere, gratitude can’t be the finisher we tack on at the very end. Thankfulness and gratitude have to be the beginning, the middle, and the ending.

Imagine what would happen if each of us simply stopped and offered thanks for who GOD is as we face whatever comes our way. Psalm 46 says, “Therefore we will not fear...” and friends, it’s up to us to fill in that blank. Then hand it over to the Lord.

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22).

3. Let go of your worries with thanksgiving

“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 4:6-7

Did you catch the invitation? We’re invited to let go and bring our burdens, hardships, uncertainties, frustrations... oh wait, bring ANYTHING! It doesn’t say don’t ask. There are only two stipulations: supplication, which is humility, and thanksgiving.

What does that sound like? Maybe something like this:

Father, I come to You recognizing the greatness of who You are. You are Holy, set apart from all others. There is no other like You. I am grateful that You would hear my request for help, and for peace, with ________.

Here’s the freeing part. Your honest prayers of fear, uncertainty, longing, and even grief can sit right beside a grateful heart. GOD isn’t asking you to show up cheerful. Thankfulness keeps your heart open to Him in the middle of the chaos. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17).

4. Praise Him before you know the outcome

The prophet Habakkuk was looking at failed crops, empty fields, and no food on the table. And here’s what he prayed:

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines... yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:17-18

That’s a deeply rooted trust. Worked-up positive thinking is too shallow to last very long. Habakkuk had a confident conviction, sealed in a heart that trusted the faithfulness of the Almighty GOD, YAHWEH. He gave thanks before he knew how things would turn out, because he knew who GOD was in his life.

So here’s my encouragement for you: Name one reason to hold on to hope that doesn’t depend on everything going the way you’d like. Then carry that one thing with you into

Psalm 121: “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

About those tangled Christmas lights

You know the ones that come out of the box every year in a knot. What should be a simple little task turns into a rather large undertaking! That’s the everyday chaos we’re talking about. We don’t ignore the tangle or pretend it’s gone because we make sure we’re aware of the presence of GOD as we work our way through it.

This week’s challenge

Each night as you lay your head on your pillow, name one area of your day where, like Spurgeon, you were able to embrace the very thing that helped you experience the presence of GOD.

Join us this Sunday as we continue Thankfulness within the Everyday. We’d love to see you at Summit!