Thankfulness on the Path to Peace

"…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7

Ingratitude isn't always exactly willful. Sometimes, we simply forget to be thankful as our minds become fixed on whatever troubles us. Even if we remember to pray, prayer can understandably become simply about asking God to help us. However, Paul encourages us to do more than supplication (making requests) when we pray. When you pray, he says, you should also leave space to thank God for what is already going well.

Anxiety and ingratitude are a vicious combination.

When you forget to be thankful, you are more likely to become anxious. When you remove flowers from the dirt, all you will see is dirt; in the same way, if you remove the beautiful aspects of your life from the flower pot of your perspective, all that’s left is the pain, uncertainty, and work that life requires, and your life will begin to feel worse than it actually is, which will cause anxiety to grow. And as we all know, as anxiety grows, it requires more and more of your attention, making it even harder to remember the flowers you removed from the original scene.

This scenario is common to all of us, but there is a way to begin breaking the cycle. If you want freedom from anxiety, you must create a habit of thankfulness in prayer despite your current levels of anxiety. And no, it won’t be an instant cure for all your anxiety, but it’s necessary if you want to move in the right direction.

Thankfulness reminds us that tragedy cannot overcome hope.

In moments of high anxiety, it may worry that you could lose everything that matters to you. Indeed, terrible things can and do happen. It is undeniable that certain aspects of each of our lives are tragic. But the hope of the gospel is that no tragedy can completely take away our hope. Anxiety is that feeling when your favorite food and your favorite shirt are on a collision course, and you know you’re going to have to toss the shirt in the garbage. Thankfulness reminds us that even if the red wine lands on the white shirt, the Maker of the shirt still has plenty of white material left to make you something new. And what’s more—though perhaps too wonderful or terrifying to believe—he has also promised weave the wine stain into a new garment. We live in a strange tapestry of tragedy and triumph, and somehow, the tragedy cannot overcome but can only serve the triumph.

Thankfulness reminds us that God is good.

When you pause to cultivate gratitude, you will likely see that God has done far more for you than you ever realized. And plus, if think about it, you don't say "Thank you" to an evil person. Even if some aspects of your life are painful today, stopping to thank God is a powerful reminder to yourself that despite your pain, he is still good. It’s a brute fact. Most of all, in the cross we see that God has already given us the greatest gift and answered the weightiest prayer we could possibly pray—to be forgiven and welcomed into his family, adopted as sons and daughters forever.

So, if you want to cultivate peace, cultivate gratitude also. Remind yourself that your tragedies cannot overcome your hope, because your God is good despite your transient negative emotions. This process may take some practice and patience, but it's crucial if you want to walk the path toward peace that surpasses understanding.