Episode #323 Finding Peace Through Gratitude – Everyday Awake

Hey, friends. Some moments don't need a lot of words. I have found that I am often without words before God. When I come to draw near to him, I don't know what to say. I don't have the most eloquent things to say to him, but I can quiet myself. I can sit and I can take a breath and realize that God is right there in the rhythm of life with me, however, fast or slow that feels.

If you've been listening and talking with God through this series, then you've practiced noticing his presence and trusting his timing, honoring your limits, and staying open to where God would lead you. And I have really enjoyed getting to walk this journey with you. This is the final step before the next rush begins. Pausing long enough to remember God's goodness. And I found that when life feels chaotic, gratitude anchors me back to what's real. Not everything is easy or right, but God's character never shifts and gratitude helps me see that and see him again.

In Colossians 3:15-17 it says,

¹⁵ “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Paul wrote this letter while imprisoned, physically confined, but spiritually free. Gratitude wasn't his reaction to comfort or ease. It was his way of participating in Christ's peace, even when life stayed hard.

In the early Church, believers didn't gather in grand buildings, they met in homes and often under pressure. Their worship was ordinary. Bread. Prayer. Stories of Jesus. Letters from the apostles, which are recorded for us in Scripture. And yet God's presence there with them made it sacred. God does the same with us today. No matter what you're doing or where you are, God's presence with you makes what you do sacred. It can be offered as gratitude and worship to him.

Gratitude is both an act and an awareness. It's not pretending that everything is fine. It's recognizing that God's goodness is still present in everything that's real. It's both action and awareness.

If you're listening to this episode, it's releasing on Thanksgiving Day here in the United States. And so I am guessing there's a lot of things that can pull your attention or cause you to take action today. But before you go back into the noise, take a few quiet minutes. You don't need to make a list. Just let thankfulness rise naturally. Maybe gratitude for who God is, not just what he's done. You might even whisper, “thank you, Jesus”, and let the words linger long enough for peace to catch up to them.

Today, you get to give gratitude to the Lord as an offering of worship in an intentional way. And if you're struggling to come up with something meaningful to give thanks for, or you simply want to hear from God what he would like you to thank him for today, here's a question that you can take in a conversation with him:

God, who or what in my life can I thank you for right now?

Happy Thanksgiving and have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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