Gratitude

A Note From Megan Lemmons... 

 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

As I reflect on the past several months, one verse has been continually on my mind, especially the part about presenting our requests to God with thanksgiving. In May of this year, our son was born two months early, facing life-threatening complications. Both he and I spent several weeks in the hospital, enduring wave after wave of uncertainty about what the future would hold. Today, we’re praising God that we’re all home, healthy, and on the road to recovery. Yet, there are still many unknowns about our son’s overall health. 

To be honest, it can be incredibly challenging to present my requests to God with thanksgiving when the future feels so uncertain. But this verse doesn’t say, “Give your praise to God after He works things out.” Instead, it’s a call to approach God with gratitude in the midst of the chaos of life, and to go to Him with both anticipation and thanksgiving. 

So how do we do that when we’re feeling anxious, scared, and unsure about what lies ahead? How do we find things to be thankful for when our circumstances are still unresolved and stressful?

Over the past several months, and in many other times in my life, I’ve learned that gratitude toward God isn’t rooted in Him working things out a specific way. Rather, it comes from the joy of knowing that even in the midst of the storm, He is with us & He is good. God doesn’t turn away from our anxiety; He draws near, offering His peace amid our circumstances to steady us as we navigate life’s challenges. His presence alone is a profound source of comfort and strength.

My encouragement to you today is this: if life’s circumstances are making gratitude hard to come by, go to God in prayer. Present your requests to Him and trust that He will meet you with His peace and presence. Be open to how God might want to care for you in this season—through His Spirit, through community, and through the support of others—and look forward with hope, knowing that He is working all things together for His glory.