When the Valley Becomes the Classroom
One of our Pastors modeled something vital this week: gratitude in tough times. He spoke about a young man’s death, and you could tell he did not enjoy revisiting the sorrow. He did rejoice, however, that God gave him a chance to share Christ with the young man, and salvation was granted! Pastor Mark’s tactic was not to dwell on the pain but to give thanks for God’s mercy in the middle of it.
Gratitude in suffering is not natural. It is learned. I’ve found that it is learned in the valleys, but that might just be me (hard head).
Scripture does not pretend that suffering is pleasant. It teaches that suffering is purposeful. David wrote: Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now I keep Your word… and It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes (Psalm 119:67, 71). David learned to thank God because affliction drove him toward the Lord.
Paul echoes David’s posture: Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Now, notice that little word, this. What is this referring to? Two possibilities:
This refers to the circumstances—meaning the trial itself is not accidental but is God’s will.
This refers to the act of giving thanks—meaning gratitude is God’s will for you in the trial.
The context shows that both are true. God is sovereign over the valley, and God commands (and empowers) thanksgiving in the valley. The same God who leads us into a trial teaches us to see him as he takes hauls us through the trial. Thanksgiving is not pretending the valley is pleasant. Thanksgiving is recognizing that God is present and purposeful in it.
Just in case we fear that we will fail at this push for gratitude while we’re enduring something that makes us feel like a duck covered in oil, Paul assures us: He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). We don’t manufacture joy in the valley. Joy is a gift from God to His Spirit-filled child who must then walk through the valley. God works in the valley as well as on the mountaintop—He works in the bad time and the good time.
So, here is a simple practice for this week: identify the things that trigger your frustration, loss, disappointment, fear, inconvenience; whatever drains your joy. Write your triggers down. Then, beneath each one, name something you can thank God for in the trial. Not thanking God that it hurts, but thanking Him in the hurt for what He is doing through it.
For example: “Father, this car repair wiped out our savings. But thank You. You provided the savings in the first place.”
This is the choice that turns the valley from a dark place where despair kidnaps our emotions into a lit place where we see Jesus more easily. Gratitude in the trial turns combustion into communion.
Two Practices for the Week
Share a valley with a fellow believer—then ask for theirs—and pray together. Real fellowship begins here.
Reframe every trigger with gratitude. Let thanksgiving become the interpreter of the trial.
