Gratitude - Forgiveness Through the Psalms

“Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.” (Psalm 73:23-25, NLT)

“I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.” (Psalm 9:1-2, NLT)

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1, NLT)

Life can feel—at times—like nothing more than a series of disappointments. I can’t imagine how discouraged Moses must have felt when—after a lifetime of leading the Israelites in an exodus from Egypt and through the wilderness—he was denied entrance into the Promised Land. The very land that he had been seeking for a lifetime, he would never inherit. Waiting was met with disappointment.

Perhaps you can relate.

The job you thought you’d have by now hasn’t materialized. The promotion never came. The marriage didn’t work out. The diagnosis was terminal. Disappointment after disappointment.

It can be tempting to allow these frustrations to accrue and spiral into bitterness or cynicism. We may hold grudges against the people and places that have seemingly held us back or let us down.

Could there be any antidote to disappointment in this life? There is. Gratitude. The Catholic theologian Ron Rolheiser calls it “the fruit” that is borne from the hard knocks of life.

When you have nothing left but God, you realize he is enough.

When you find yourself stuck in the mud of disillusionment, what if gratitude is able to pull you out?

When life’s circumstances don’t line up exactly how you’d want them to, what if you are invited into another way? An opportunity to choose joy?

And what if these are the ingredients to experiencing the breakthrough you’ve been in desperate need of for some time?

The apostle Peter writes, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:12-13), NIV).

Do you see it? Joy and gratitude are the antidote to disappointment.

Today, allow gratitude to flood your thoughts. Regardless of your present circumstances, draw to mind the people, the places, or the provisions that you are grateful for.

Let gratitude win this day. That’s the fruit of forgiveness at work in your life.