“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!“

Psalm 107:1 (ESV)

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AUGUST 18, 2025

Practicing gratitude has never come naturally to me. It’s something I work on daily. Complaining is so much easier! Letting anxiety, anger, and depression take the wheel feel so much more natural.  

Recently my 9-year-old daughter has been going through a phase (I hope it’s a phase!). If one bad thing happens during her day, like getting hurt or losing a toy, then she stubbornly determines that the rest of the day is ruined; she cries and brings up all the bad things that happened that day and that month. When I ask her what we can thank God for, it does not go well. When she’s upset about all the things, gratitude is the last thing she wants to practice.  

Yet secular culture, science, and the community of Christ-trusters view gratitude as a healthy and essential practice. Practicing gratitude can literally rewire your brain when you are struggling with severe anxiety, anger, or depression.  

When we think of gratitude, we typically think of immediate and tangible needs and desires being met. We are grateful when a relative is healed from a disease. We are grateful when we find a job. We are grateful when we get to experience a relaxing and fun vacation with family and friends. We are grateful when our ministry is growing and succeeding. We are grateful when the things we want to happen, happen.  

These are all great things to be grateful for. The problem is, what happens to our gratitude when things don’t go the way we want? What happens to our gratitude when our loved one dies, when we can’t find a job? What happens when wars and famines and violence and oppression continue and our prayers seem ineffective? What happens when we still struggle with that same sin, over and over and over again?  

From a biblical perspective, gratitude is not limited to noticing good things happening. Biblical gratitude is much deeper, richer, and more robust.  

This week, I invite you to join me in reflecting on Psalm 107. Read it multiple times, slowly, pausing after a sentence or a paragraph. Humbly ask the Holy Spirit to give us ears to hear God’s voice.  

Questions for reflection and discussion:  

  • What kinds of things are you typically thankful for? 
  • When is it hard to practice gratitude?  
  • What do you notice in Psalm 107? 

Church Reading Plan: 1 Samuel 10; Romans 8