Finding God In The Midst Of Hard Times

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

“I’ve been praying for you. How did today go?”

Her text made me pause, uncertain about how best to answer. The last several weeks had been rough. And while I smiled prettily in response to most inquiries and had a ready list of all the ways I was grateful in the midst of the bumpy ride, my friend was looking for the unvarnished truth.

I knew God was in the mess with me because I could see his provision. And I was beyond grateful for both his presence and his interceding. But I was so, so sad. I was a weird, simultaneous mix—deeply grateful, while also heartsick.

My text confession was met with one of her own, and we both acknowledged the truth: a grateful, thankful heart can also be a heart in lament, deep frustration, and even anger. We are complex creatures living in an often ugly, unfair, and grueling world. While it’s tempting to think gratitude automatically wipes away and replaces physical or emotional pain, that’s not always true. And we are not disloyal to God when we embrace thankfulness even while hurting.

Searching for gratefulness amid hard circumstances doesn’t remove the circumstance; it acknowledges and makes room for God in the midst of it. And that’s where we need him most—smack-dab in the middle of the most difficult parts of our story.

God promises to be with us in our worst moments, days, weeks, and seasons. We are not alone, not for one moment. And when we embrace gratitude, intentionally watching for silver linings, practicing thankfulness for the smallest bits of good among the hard, we find God present with us.

Julie

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Actively search for silver linings, thanking God for the big and small during challenging moments.