I remember when it first dawned on me that the Apostle Paul did not include gratitude in the fruit of the Spirit. I spent quite some time trying to figure out why this principal virtue failed to make the final cut. The next logical step was for me to assume that there must something lacking in my current understanding of gratitude.

The main Hebrew term for gratitude is “Hakarat HaTov,” which literally translates to “recognizing the good.” Hakarat HaTov is an active, intentional act of sifting through our lives and finding the multitude of places where God’s goodness is presiding. Hakarat HaTov is a declaration that goodness exists in every season of our lives. But do we always recognize it? 

In the western world, we are often guilty of demoting biblical verbs to nouns. “Love” has certainly taken the biggest hit in this regard, but gratitude is still a noteworthy victim. When we think of gratitude, we are most often speaking about a feeling instead of the intentional act of giving thanks despite our feelings. 

First Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) says to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Through these verses, Paul is reminding us that gratitude is not something that we wait to feel, but rather something that we elect to practice. 

For the Hebrews, gratitude was not a victory cry. Gratitude was not a statement of all being well. It was instead a declaration that because they belonged to a good God, the reality of His goodness would always be evident in the totality of their lives. 

We often mistakenly ascribe gratitude only to our celebratory moments. Though it certainly applies in those circumstances, what we most often see in God’s Word regarding gratitude is that it is “pain adjacent.” Gratitude and seasons of fear and uncertainty are often entangled in a beautiful dance of call and response. 

In Psalm 40, King David gives us a poignant picture of this partnered dance between gratitude and grief. This psalm gives us a biblical lens into what gratitude looks like while our souls are despairing and persevering. 

In verses 4 and 5, King David declares, “O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.”

In these verses, King David is completely overwhelmed by the grandeur of God. He acknowledges that his finite mind does not have the capacity to fully comprehend God’s goodness and generosity. He rightfully declares that God has no equal. 

And in the same breath, the verses that follow this beautiful declaration of deep gratitude to the Lord of Hosts paint an opposite picture of what most of us would think his reality would be, based on his prior proclamations of praise. 

In verses 11-13, King David cries, “Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me. For troubles surround me— too many to count! My sins pile up so high I can’t see my way out. They outnumber the hairs on my head. I have lost all courage. Please, Lord, rescue me! Come quickly, Lord, and help me.”

So here we have King David declaring that the wonderful deeds of God are too many to count while he is actively being persecuted by enemies that are also too many to count. When we’re surrendered to God, our hearts are fully capable of coupling grief with gratitude in a way that honors God without suppressing our feelings.

There will be moments in our lives when the act of gratitude will be aligned with our feelings, but there also must be moments when we are active in gratitude even though it opposes our feelings. Gratitude is the biblical response when our lives are in the mud and mire. This is what fueled James to write and remind his readers to consider it pure joy when they faced trials of many kinds.

In fact, one of the biggest barriers to practicing gratitude is when we forget that facing trials of many kinds is intrinsic to our walk as disciples of Jesus. Gratitude quickly wanes when we believe that we deserve better than what God is presently offering us. 

This thought was at the heart of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, where he declares in chapter 4, “For I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (11b-13).

Philippians has been called the happiest book in the Bible, yet Paul wrote it while sitting in prison and enduring one of the hardest seasons of his life. Regardless of his circumstances, Paul was able to live with a grateful heart because he practiced recognizing the presence of Jesus. 

In John 10:10, Jesus as the Good Shepherd reassures us that He came to earth so that we can have a rich and satisfying life. And just a few chapters later in John 16:33, Jesus gives us another reassurance: In this life we will have many trials and sorrows. When Jesus promises us a rich and satisfying life, He is not promising us a life without pain, but a life filled with His presence. When we grab hold of the person of Jesus and remain in Him, He will produce gratitude in us in any circumstance.

So gratitude must be a spiritual discipline, because staying aware of the presence of Jesus is not something that the world will make easy for us. Our lives are full of constant distractions, and it’s our responsibility to live in a way that makes recognizing the good possible. Whether it’s making daily lists of blessings, testifying to others about those blessings, or whatever method we choose (there are many!), the onus to recognize the good is on us.

In Isaiah 43:19 (NIV), God declares to His people that He is doing a new thing. And His question to them is simple: “Do you not perceive it?” This question is relevant for us today. God’s goodness and mercies are new each morning, and each morning they await our recognition. 

Paul didn’t include gratitude with the fruit of the Spirit because gratitude lies within the root from which they all grow. When we express gratitude to Jesus, we give Him a way to produce the fruit of His Spirit in us. Gratitude is always at the foundation of a Spirit-filled life.

Jesus is the good that we must discipline ourselves to always recognize. He promised to never leave nor forsake us, and that promise ensures that even if everything else fails, we will always have a reason to be grateful — we will always have Him.

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