2023 isn’t over yet, but around Thanksgiving, I begin to reflect on the year – the ups, the downs, the good, and the bad. This year’s been a mixed bag for me, honestly. I’ve had a lot of wonderful times with people I love, and God has shown me things and blessed me in ways I never expected. And yet it’s as though every good moment has been countered with a tough and challenging setback.
You can get to the point where it becomes hard to feel genuinely thankful even in spite of the obvious blessings you know you still have and are thankful for. Weariness can do that to you. Burnout and being stretched thin can take the passion out of your spirit. And you find yourself just wanting to lie down instead of taking care of the million other things on your to-do list or instead of having to actually think about the issues that you’re facing.
I’m sure we can all say we’ve been there. Many wise people will remind us that when we place each anxiety-inducing situation into God’s hands and trust Him with it, then we’ll have peace, and things will be okay. And that’s absolutely true. I’ve reminded myself and others of that before as well. God will work things out in His timing. He takes care of His children.
But we’re all human, after all, and those problems often don’t immediately go away even when we say we’re trusting God with them. Sometimes they still eat away at you. Sometimes they still haunt you, and even when you think you’ve surrendered it, they plague your mind and drag you back into the mud. And there you are – covered in the grime of frustration, weariness, and anxiety once again.
I could go on and on about the ways stress and frustrating times make us feel, but I digress. How can one find a way to feel thankful in the midst of trying times? I’ve been thinking about this, and God reminded me of something so simple, but so good.
Two things came into my spirit: the God who hears me and the Lord my Sustainer.
All of the conversations I’ve had with God about what I’ve been facing this year, every question I’ve asked Him, every prayer I’ve prayed, every moment where I’ve just rambled about a dozen different frustrations, every single word and prayer and cry has not gone unheard. While I sat and wondered about how to write a post about thankfulness that didn’t feel generic, God simply reminded me of this.
He has heard you. He’s listening. He’s there.
“In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of his temple, And my cry came before him, even into his ears.”
Psalm 18:6 KJV
In every low moment, God heard me, and He hears you. In every moment when I wasn’t sure how I would make it, God sustained me.
“I sought the LORD, and he heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 34:3 KJV
Sometimes in life there are those situations that just won’t go away, but the Lord will sustain you. You’re not strong, but He is. You can’t do this, but He can. And with His grace and mercy He will give you the strength to endure.
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Matthew 24:13 KJV
I’m reminded of the word God spoke through Reverend Victor Jackson at the UPCI General Conference in 2019 – the Forgotten Anointing. It’s endurance. Jesus saw those who followed Him were weary, and He was moved with compassion.
“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”
Matthew 9:36 KJV
If you’re going through a rough season this Thanksgiving, and your thanksgiving spirit feels a little stale, it’s OKAY. You’re human, and real life presents real problems. It’s normal to become weary and tired, but thank God for His compassion on us and that He sent His Spirit to dwell within us and bring us comfort and strength.
“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
John 14:18 KJV
Maybe you’re still dealing with the same situation that you’ve been facing all year. Maybe it’s a years-long situation. Maybe you’re struggling with feeling truly thankful, and you’re weary of the same issues day in, day out. You cannot and will make it not by your own strength, but you WILL make it by the power of the Sustainer, by the mercy of the Comforter.
Let God sustain you. Pray His Word out loud, and let His Spirit strengthen yours. He hears your every cry. And let this truth reignite your thanksgiving this holiday season: Jesus is the God who hears us. He is the Lord our Sustainer.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 KJV
Breathe. Pray. Repeat. 