November 2025

​Dear Church,

Praise God when things are not going well! 

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of                       
God in Christ Jesus for you. -1 Thess. 5:18. 

Difficult seasons in life can make us feel as though everything is going wrong. It is easy to fall into thoughts such as: 
• If God loves me so much, why does He allow this in my life? 
• Why me, when everyone else seems to be living such a happy and easy life? 
• What is wrong with me?  

When we focus only on our troubles, our vision narrows. We lose sight of how the Lord might be using our difficulties for growth and sanctification. Even when we know this truth, our hearts are not always ready to accept it. 

Too often, we let our emotions draw us away from our Saviour instead of closer to Him. Yet God invites us to come to Him when we are weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28). He does not tell us to sort everything out before we come, or to dry our eyes first, or to align ourselves perfectly with His Word. No, He simply says, “Come.” Come with your failures and struggles. Come just as you are.

Trials and tribulations are inevitable, but God’s Word shows us how to respond to them. It tells us to give thanks in all circumstances.  Notice that Scripture does not say to give thanks for the circumstances. God is not asking us to thank Him for the painful things we endure. Rather, He calls us to give thanks while we are in the storm. When we do this and when we focus on God’s unchanging character and thank Him for who He is, something beautiful happens within us.  
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He fills us with His perfect peace, even when our circumstances have not changed. Let us bring our burdens to God and exchange them for His peace. May we learn to give thanks and praise Him, even when things are not going well. 

God Bless, 
Amutha