5 Reasons to be Grateful to God and Be Filled with Joy

1. God loves you.  No matter who you are.  No matter what you do.  God loves you.  He will never not love you.  He will never stop loving you.  God loves you.

“Can a woman forget her child…?
    Even if these may forget…,
    I will not forget you.
I have carved you on the palms of my hands.”
Isaiah 49: 16

2. Even if life is challenging, you are alive.  You still have a chance to make things right or good.  You can still make this world a better place in which to live.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 5: 14-16

3. God is good.  God is good.  You are His Beloved Child.  God is good.

“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his steadfast love endures for ever!”
Psalm 118: 1

4. If you are suffering, you can always offer your sufferings up and unite your sorrows to the love of Jesus.  You can help to save souls.  Even in suffering, you can make a difference.   Jesus knows how much you suffer.  He loves you for this.  Even in your suffering, you can embrace the cross.

And he said to all, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  Luke 9: 23

*(There are those who can be joyful in suffering.)

“I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.”
Mother Theresa

5. There is power behind prayer.  You can pray.  Prayer is the balm for the soul.

“Have no anxiety 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 passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Phillipians 4: 6-7