Choosing to give thanks.
I do not have a full post for this study but here are some of the key points I took away from my study of 1 Samuel 22. (I strongly recommend you listen to the audio above for the full study.)
Giving thanks is less about your circumstances and more about your attitude.
Your faith, your trust in God, is what allows you to give thanks even when life is difficult.
It is the challenges that help you grow. The challenges you face today allow you to overcome tomorrow. Think of the stories you tell. do you ever tell stories about sitting at home all day in your pajamas staring at a screen?
It is the challenges that are story-worthy. You are proud of the difficulties God has brought you through.
Testimonies are born in the fire of trials.
Whenever you face a challenge, lean on God and imagine how amazing the testimony will be when God brings you through it. Learn about God and his power, wisdom, and patience, as you face trials, and remember to praise Him and give Him glory on the other side of the trial.
While you are going through the trial, thank God by faith, trust in Him to do what He does best, to save, to provide, to rescue.
You reach your goals because you faced challenges.
There were lessons that David needed to learn in order to be a good king and a successful military leader. The road would not be easy, but David would become the greatest king Israel ever had.
For an insight into David’s heart during this period in his life read Psalm 57
Though David is being falsely accused and persecuted, God’s plan for Him remains and he remains faithful to God. Though a fugitive, David is still the future king of Israel.
How people treat you matters little to God’s plan for your life.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
- Colossians 3:16-17 NKJV
