The Attitude of Gratitude: Finding God’s Will Through Thankfulness
When we think about discerning God’s will, we often overcomplicate things. We stress about major life decisions – who to marry, what job to take, where to live – believing there’s only one perfect answer and fearing we’ll mess everything up. But what if God’s will is simpler than we think?
What Comes to Mind When You Think About God?
A.W. Tozer once said, “What comes to mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.” This statement reveals a crucial truth about our relationship with our Creator.
Since Genesis chapter three, humanity has made it a habit to remake God in our image instead of acknowledging we are made in His. We project our moods, inconsistencies, and desires onto God, creating a false image that looks more like us than the true Creator.
God’s True Character
While God doesn’t smile at wickedness and burns with righteous anger against sin and cruelty, there’s another side we often miss. God looks at His children with kindness and compassion. When sinners come to Him in humility, His posture isn’t cold or distant – it’s welcoming.
The parable of the prodigal son perfectly illustrates this. When the wayward son returns, the father doesn’t scold or reprimand. Instead, he embraces him and throws a feast. This is how God views His children – with the love of a father who delights in his sons and daughters.
God’s Will Is Simpler Than You Think
In First Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul gives us three short, powerful commands that reveal God’s will:
- Always be joyful
- Never stop praying
- Be thankful in all circumstances
Paul explicitly states: “for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Focus on Heart Posture, Not Circumstances
God’s will is often less about the circumstances, choices, and decisions we face, and more about the posture of our heart. While we worry about making the wrong move, God wants us to arrive at His intended destination even more than we want to get there.
Consider biblical examples: Jonah arrived at God’s destination (though it involved a fish), Joseph reached his purpose (through slavery and prison), Moses fulfilled his calling (despite murder and 40 years of running), and Paul became an apostle (after persecuting Christians). God is remarkably good at getting people where He wants them.
Everything Good Comes From God
James 1:17 reminds us: “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”
This is where gratitude begins – recognizing that everything we have comes from God. The challenge is that we’re often poor judges of what constitutes a blessing. Sometimes we celebrate things that are harmful, while labeling as curses the very things God uses to bless us.
Learning from Jewish Tradition
Jewish tradition places tremendous emphasis on gratitude. The Talmud states that “a man embezzles from God when he makes use of this world without uttering a blessing.” Failing to give thanks is spiritual theft.
An observant Jew offers 100 blessings daily, thanking God for everything from new experiences to unusual animals. They even have a specific blessing for seeing elephants or unusual apes: “Blessed be he who makes strange creatures.”
Gratitude in the Details
Consider the incredible detail of God’s provision. Your body performs 37 sextillion chemical reactions right now – digesting food, regenerating cells, clearing toxins. We owe God countless thank-yous just for existing.
Praising God for Partial Miracles
When Jesus healed a blind man, it happened in two stages. After the first touch, the man could see but not clearly – “I see people as trees walking.” Many of us stumble here. We receive progress but lose heart because we didn’t get the complete answer immediately.
Some miracles unfold over time. When God works in stages, that’s when we need to lean into Him and be thankful for each step. Too often we hold back our praise until the end and wonder why we never reach the finish line.
Where You Focus Determines Your Reality
Philippians 4:8 instructs us to “fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
Two people can attend the same church service and have completely different experiences based solely on their focus. One focuses on God’s presence, the message, and the community – leaving encouraged. The other focuses on minor irritations and distractions – leaving frustrated.
The Olympic Medal Study
Research shows that bronze medalists are quantifiably happier than silver medalists. Why? Silver medalists focus on how close they came to gold (upward comparison), while bronze medalists focus on how close they came to winning nothing (downward comparison). The difference is perspective.
Contentment in All Circumstances
Paul wrote from prison: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances… I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
Contentment cannot be tied to circumstances – it must be tied to the posture of your heart. You can be stressed and blessed simultaneously. Blessing doesn’t mean a life without problems; it often brings new responsibilities and challenges that shape and stretch you.
Two Ways to Process Life
When life happens, you have two choices: either your view of God will shrink to match your circumstances, or your circumstances will fall into place under what you know is true about God.
Don’t let what is wrong in your life keep you from worshiping what is right with God.
The Cross: Our Reality Check
No matter how hard life gets, you matter to Christ so much that He went to the cross for you. Your sin is nailed there, the curse broken. Every spiritual blessing is yours because of Christ.
Our reality check isn’t based on circumstances but on God’s character. And God is good all the time.
Life Application
This week, practice appreciative inquiry – notice what is right before dealing with what is wrong. Gratitude is the gateway into God’s presence. Scripture tells us to “enter his gates with thanksgiving.”
If you go looking for something to complain about, you’ll find it. But if you go looking for something to thank God for, you’ll always find that too. We don’t see the world as it is; we see it based on the condition of our hearts.
Challenge yourself to count your blessings daily. Name what God has done – it shifts your entire perspective. Remember, whatever you don’t turn into praise will eventually turn into pride.
Questions for Reflection
- What picture comes to mind when you think about God – is it accurate to His true character?
- Are you focusing more on your comfort or your character in your prayers?
- What partial miracles or progress can you thank God for today?
- How can you shift your focus from what’s wrong to what God is doing right in your life?