7 Reasons to Thank God When Suffering

Does it ever feel difficult to find reasons to be thankful to God when you are in a season of suffering? Maybe you are dealing with a health struggle, having difficulties with raising a child, or feeling lonely or lost while seeking direction… in all of that, I know God sees you. 

He wants you to shift your perspective—to open your eyes to see there are an infinite number of reasons to give thanks to God. These 7 reasons to thank God are just a few examples of things for which you can show your appreciation, because God never changes and his love for you is always present. 

A relationship with him alone transforms your life, heart, and mind… when you set yourself in a position of thanksgiving in difficult times, your attitude changes and that allows you to endure and grow.

What Does the Bible Say About Thankfulness

The Bible says to be thankful to God. 

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” (Psalm 100:4, NIV) 

There are many Bible verses about thanksgiving to God that show why to do it, and how.

• You should always thank God in both good and hard times. He deserves continuous thanksgiving.

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV)

• Thank Jesus because of his character. He is good all the time and his love for you never ends. 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34, NIV)

• You should thank God for what is to come and not focus on the trials you’re going through now. 

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” (Hebrews 12:28-29, NIV)

• Do everything for Jesus and give thanks to God in it! 

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17, NIV)

Why Should We Thank God?

You should thank God because he calls you to do so, and for good reason. He knows that it will change you: your character, your heart, your outlook and approach to life. He always knows what’s best, even when you don’t see it or thanking him feels so hard to do when you’re suffering. 

When you truly strive to focus on God and follow him, you will surrender to thanksgiving at all times and in response experience the transformation he has for you through it. 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4, NIV) 

That transformation will be a product of what he has done in your heart and life, through the maturity and Christlikeness he has produced in you. It will also allow you to acknowledge that he does good at all times. 

Your choice to be thankful to God will eventually outflow from your heart when you focus on what there really is to be thankful for by knowing him. Not just how he changes your circumstances and works things out for you—the power of thanksgiving will be contagious to others too.

Examples of Gratitude in the Bible

There are many examples of thanksgiving in the Bible. 

• You can read about many biblical figures in the Old Testament creating an altar to God to offer gratitude and praise to him in return for what he did for them. Noah did this to give thanksgiving to God and praise to him for sparing his family in the flood. 

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.” (Genesis 8:20, NIV) 

• In the New Testament, we see in the letters of the apostle Paul how he extends thanksgiving to God for people, churches, and what God has done for them. In his letter to the church in Corinth, he does this after enduring suffering. 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV)

Their gratitude to God showed the state of their hearts. They loved God, and thanksgiving flowed. Today it’s still necessary to offer God thanksgiving for what he has done and will do, in remembrance too of what he has done for you. You can’t forget that; you need to show him in deeds and words, in your life and heart. 

How are you showing gratitude to God? He is worthy of your gratitude. It starts in the heart. 

7 Reasons to Thank God

Giving thanks to God for everything is important, but when suffering presents itself it can be hard to remember those reasons. The top reasons to be thankful to God in times like this are thus that you know him and what your relationship with him means—because he will comfort you in your suffering. 

These 7 reasons why to thank God can serve as a reminder to you when it feels like you have nothing to be thankful to God for. I hope they can help you to lean into God with thankfulness, knowing he is doing good in this time when it feels like there is no end in sight.

1. God Is Trustworthy

You can thank God that he is trustworthy; trustworthy to produce good things in this season within you as you seek him, depend on him and place your hope in him.

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5, NIV) 

These are the things that you need in order to keep climbing the ladder of faith to keep walking with him. These are desirable attributes and in these times you can be grateful to God, knowing he is doing this in you. You will come out better if you seek him and stick with him, thanking him. 

2. God Keeps His Promises

God’s promises are guaranteed. When you stand in them with thanksgiving to God, you become more assured by who he is and the good life he has for you. 

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:20, NIV) 

God promises that you don’t have to fear, that you will be comforted, that he has good for you, that you will have a new body in heaven, etc. Stand firm in thanksgiving to God because he keeps his promise to you, with a Yes and Amen in gratitude. 

3. God Has Purpose in the Suffering for You

There is a purpose for your suffering. There is purpose in the pain. You are not going through this season for no reason. You can be thankful to God because he is growing your faith. 

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:6-7, NIV) 

Everyone wants a deeper faith, to stand stronger and unmoved in him… because life doesn’t get easier. You can give gratitude to God for this testing and that he is producing growth in you. 

4. God Gives Us Power in Our Weakness

When you feel weak in your suffering, weary and discouraged, God is your strength. You can be thankful for that. 

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV) 

His Spirit is all powerful and will empower you with great strength that you never experienced before. You can lean into that to keep going and be thankful on the journey.

5. God Is the Great Provider

In your afflictions, you can trust that God will provide all you need. 

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19, NIV) 

Because you have been faithful to him, he will provide people to come alongside you to show you love, a new job in his timing, comfort, peace, etc. It will be extravagant because that is who he is: a God who loves you relentlessly. 

You can be thankful to God that he provides in the suffering, renewing you to see his love, and who he is, in great ways when you seek him in it and trust him in faith. 

6. God Is the Great Comforter

You can thank God because he will comfort you. 

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4, NIV) 

His comfort is like no other. He will give you the words and the wisdom you need to have the peace you need to endure. This will produce thanksgiving in your heart.  

7. God Is With You

This suffering is temporary. It will not last forever. You can thank God for this and that he is with you in it. 

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (Isaiah 43:2, NIV) 

God will protect you when you seek him; trust him and he will be with you in every moment. 

When you are suffering and you question what to be thankful to God for, I hope these 7 reasons to thank God can lead you to know he is worthy of thanksgiving. When you know him, there is always reason to be thankful. You will get through this season of suffering and can choose thankfulness when you fully remember what his word says for you. This will allow you to love God, love yourself and love people—no matter what you are going through.