There have been times in my life when I find myself struggling to find joy and strength. Every time, it’s tied to a lack of gratitude. Gratitude is such a powerful thing that we so often forget to express to our Heavenly Father!  It says this in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

I love what it says here in the Amplified, “no matter the circumstances be thankful…”. I asked the Holy Spirit why gratitude was so powerful and He explained to me that saying thank you to the Father is an act of humility and humility is always rewarded with grace. His grace is His help in our lives. 

So just imagine how much more powerful gratitude is when the circumstances are the worst! Honestly, it’s easy to be thankful when everything is great and we should be, but when everything is falling apart and we somehow dig down and pull out just the tiniest bit of gratitude, it absolutely changes the atmosphere! God’s grace comes flooding in along with joy and along with joy His strength! Before we know it, we’re standing in our mess with our arms lifted, rejoicing and singing praises with a grateful heart! Pretty soon the mess is cleaned up and we are able to move forward with Him! 

Gratitude absolutely changes our attitude, no matter the circumstances! Be quick to start your prayers with praise and thanksgiving and I believe you’ll see a significant change in your prayer life!