Session 1

How to be ThankFULL when you’re sick

From How To Be ThankFULL: A 7-Day Devotional

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 We forget to be thankful for good health until we find ourselves miserable in bed missing work, lunch dates, and all other aspects of everyday life.

For most of us, sickness will be a quick inconvenience that comes and goes and we move on. For others, sickness is a way of life. It can last for a season while recovering from something serious or for a lifetime when the ailment is chronic.

As adults, needing care is often humbling and frustrating. We want to do things for ourselves. It’s tough to find ourselves weak and in need. How do we give thanks when we feel miserable?

In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Paul, a man who suffered non-stop from sickness, beatings, and prison, reminds us that when we are weak, we are in the perfect spot to see just how big and strong and powerful our God really is.

When we are rushing about, letting the daily grind control our focus, we miss out on how God is there working out His plan and purpose for our lives. But when we are sick, we are forced to be still and admit our weakness and need. And as we lean on the Lord and let Him change our focus, we get to experience God’s power in a profound way.

God’s presence in our sickness doesn’t make suffering suddenly fun. Paul wasn’t a masochist who really loved suffering, and God doesn’t expect us to be happy about disease.

We live in a fallen world where sickness and bad things will happen to all of us. When those times come, we can stare at the misery of it and go deep into the pity. Or, we can focus on the good things God is doing in the midst of our suffering.

As we thank God for our blessings and the truth of His promises in the middle of our suffering, we’ll find God brings peace to our souls as only He can (Philippians 4:6-14).

Reflect:

• What’s one way a forced time-out from the world for sickness can help you refocus on who you are in Christ?
• How can praying for others when you are sick change your mindset?
• Have you ever thought of asking God how you can honor Him in your time of suffering? When we give our pain to God, He can bring beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3)