Sermon Series Blog: When You Just Don’t Get It Pt.2

Have you ever had a season where you just couldn’t understand why?
Why did the job fall through?
Why did that relationship end?
Why didn’t God answer the prayer you prayed with all your heart?

We’ve all been there — crying out, “God, I know You’re good… but where are You right now? My world is falling apart!”

Sometimes life hits so hard it feels like the rug’s been pulled from beneath your feet. And while some of us might lose it over a bad Wi-Fi connection or not enough likes on Instagram, others are facing real breaking points — loss, disappointment, grief, confusion.

So here’s the question:
Can we still have a heart of thanksgiving when life hurts?

This is what Paul challenged the Thessalonian church with:

“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

These weren’t empty words. Paul wrote to believers who were young in their faith and suffering under persecution. Yet he tells them — and us — to keep rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks.

That’s not a call to fake a smile. It’s a call to anchor our joy in God’s unchanging nature, not our changing circumstances.

1. When You Don’t Get It — God Still Has a Plan

Joseph’s story reminds us of that truth. He was betrayed, enslaved, falsely accused, and forgotten — yet in the end he could say,

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” — Genesis 50:20

What looked like betrayal became positioning.
What felt like delay became development.
What seemed like defeat became destiny.

Thanksgiving doesn’t mean you like what’s happened. It means you trust that God can redeem what’s happened.

2. When You Don’t Get It — God Still Deserves Praise

The prophet Habakkuk declared,

“Though the fig tree does not bud… yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” — Habakkuk 3:17-18

He had no harvest, no stability, no answers — but he still chose worship.
True thanksgiving is not thanking God because life is good, but even when it’s not.

Nelson Mandela modeled this beautifully. After 27 years in prison, betrayed even by those he trusted, he chose forgiveness and gratitude. He said, “If I didn’t leave my bitterness behind, I’d still be in prison.”

Faith-filled thanksgiving praises God not after the storm, but in it.

3. When You Don’t Get It — God Is Still Revealing His Glory

The cross looked like defeat — a failed mission, a broken Messiah. But what looked like weakness was God’s greatest victory.

Paul wrote from prison, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances… I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13)
His thanksgiving wasn’t based on outcomes; it was based on who God is.

When You Just Don’t Get It

You might not understand everything you’re walking through,
but you can still lift your hands and say,
“God, I thank You — not because it makes sense, but because You’re in control.”

Because when life doesn’t make sense, gratitude becomes your weapon,
faith becomes your anchor,
and Jesus becomes your reason.

When you just don’t get it — thank Him anyway.
He’s still working, still good, and still God.