Giving Thanks in the Darkness

I sat sad, overwhelmed with the weight of life. I felt God calling me to be thankful. “God, what do I have to be thankful for? Don’t you see what I’m going through?” I said back. I felt God saying to me that not only did He see what I was going through, but He also desired to be a part of it. He seemed to see thanksgiving as the solution to part of my problem. My withholding of thanksgiving prevented me from seeing God at work. As I began to give thanks, even when I didn’t feel like it, I could start to see God’s light at work in my situation.

Here are some practical things you can choose to be thankful for in the darkness:

1.     In the darkness, His light shines brightest.

Have you ever noticed when life is sun-shiny, it’s easy to forget God? It’s as if the brightness from the good things can distract us from the glory of God. We can lose sight of who deserves the praise. We can begin to think that it is because of our efforts that life is going so well. When life begins to darken because of circumstance, we are more likely to seek God’s light. We long for a glimmer of the goodness of God. John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (ESV). Jesus’ light came to us in our darkest hour; He was the only hope for our eternity. How much more can He show up in our dark season? The light of God draws us when we are walking through gloomy days.

2.     Darkness gives us a point of reference.

During a troubling season, it is really difficult to see a future. It is hard to see any path out of the difficult time you are going through. Once you are on the other side of your struggle, you will be reminded of God’s faithfulness. It will give you a reference point to look back on and say, “God you were there with me then, and you’ll be with me now.” You will be able to confidentially say, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4 ESV). When we go through difficult times and God remains faithful, we can be expectant that He will do it, again.

3. Darkness causes us to test our faith.

One of the most beneficial things about the darkness is the way that it has the ability to strengthen our faith. When we are going through trials, we have to really come to terms with the things we believe about God. We wrestle through questions of God’s goodness, faithfulness, mercy, sovereignty, and love. Often times, the darkness gives us motivation to really struggle with big questions about our God. I think perhaps we avoid asking these questions when life is going well. The dark times really prompt us to be confident in what we believe. Peter speaks of the living hope we have to hold onto. He says, “In this [reserved inheritance] you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith-more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7 ESV). How much more do we trust in God once we have gone through a testing and He has proven to be trial-proof?  At the end of the test, we can know there is no trial our God cannot overcome.

4.     Darkness gives birth to new habits.

Stick with me on this one. In the darkness, habits are formed: potentially positive or negative. When you are going through more than you can handle, you are either going to respond by clinging to God or turning away to other things. In the midst of a recent trial, I found myself longing for more time with God. I felt like I needed that time more to function through my struggles. I started turning off the radio in the car so I could talk to God. I began longing to just be quiet and reflect on God’s goodness. These habits did not develop when my life felt in control. It was trials that led me to seek God’s face regularly. My prayers sounded a lot like David’s when he said, “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted” (Psalm 25:16 ESV). God desires this type of prayer to become habitual. We can thank God when trials come and our response is to seek our Father fervently.

A lot of us are trying to pray away the darkness. Maybe God is trying to reveal a side of us that doesn’t trust Him. He might be trying to get us ready for something bigger than ourselves. Perhaps, our habits and attitudes need shifting. Instead of praying for the removal of trials, maybe we should instead be thanking God in the midst of them for His ever-present help.