Gratitude in the Middle
Habakkuk 3:16-19
Introduction:
Good morning, everyone. It’s a joy to be with you today. As we open God’s Word this morning, I want to talk with you about the importance of gratitude — not at the end of the story when everything is clear, but right in the middle. Gratitude in the Middle.In the middle of real life. In the middle of the unknown. In the middle of whatever you’re going through today. And here’s the question I want to plant in your heart:
What would change if gratitude became your posture, and not just your reaction?
What if thanksgiving wasn’t just a day on the calendar, but — the way you chose to live?
That matters because true gratitude doesn’t begin with circumstances. It begins with God. Gratitude isn’t a feeling we wait for when life cooperates. It is a choice — a faith-filled decision shaped by confidence in God’s character and His unfailing faithfulness.
I know, our nation is preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving later this week. And it’s going to be great — but thanksgiving was never meant to be a day. Gratitude was meant to be a posture of our lives — a way of seeing, a way of living, a way of steadying our hearts (no matter the season or storm).
I know, life doesn’t always give us easy reasons to be grateful. Problems pile up. Disappointment shows up. Worries rise up. But gratitude has a way of pulling us close to the One who never changes, never fails, and never leaves us.
And so, this morning — I want us to look at an obscure book in the Old Testament. A book written by the prophet Habakkuk. It’s short, but powerful! And it shows us how to choose gratitude when life feels uncertain.
Habakkuk begins with honest, hard questions for God — but by the third chapter of his book, his questions give way to faith, and faith leads to gratitude!
So, if you have your Bible, turn with me to Habakkuk chapter 3.
As you find it, I’ll give you some background: Habakkuk lived during one of Judah’s darkest seasons. His nation was crumbling from the inside out. They were becoming increasingly ungodly. Corruption was everywhere, violence was rising, and the threat of an invasion by Babylon loomed.
So Habakkuk does what any believer would do: he cries out to God. He asked:
— Why is this happening?
— What are you going to do about it?
— And, how long will this go on?
But when God answered, His response was shocking. God told Habakkuk He was aware of the problems — and He was preparing to act. But what He planned to do was use the Babylon an instrument of judgment against His people. And this shocked Habakkuk. He couldn’t believe it!
So the entire book becomes a conversation between Habakkuk and God.
The late, J. Vernon McGee once described this book saying:“(what)…begins with a question — ends with an exclamation point.” Because his questions turn to faith—andhis faith turns to gratitude!
Message:
This is most clear in chapter 3. As Habakkuk processes everything God said, he writes in verse 16:
16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. 17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls.
Alright, let me pause — just to be clear.
Habakkuk is not speaking from a mountaintop of blessing. He is standing in the middle of dark days.
And you need to remember, God told him, “Things are going to get worse before they get better. — But I haven’t forgotten you, so hang in there.”
And that’s what he does. He hangs in there. We see this in verse 18 where he says:
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights. — Habakkuk 3:18-19 (NIV)
These are some amazing words. Right in the middle of the struggle, before anything changes, he says, “I will rejoice.”
Now, this isn’t denial. It is faith! Because he anchors his heart God’s promises, not his circumstances. And this is the core of gratitude. Trusting God most! Contrary to what most people think — gratitude doesn’t begin when our storms clear, or when problem are solved. It doesn’t even begin with the reception of God’s blessings.
Gratitude begins with God. When we look beyond our shaky circumstancesand fix our eyes on God, everything steadies!
It’s like being on a boat in ROUGH water — if you stare at what’s moving, you lose your balance (and even get sick). But when you fix your eyes on the horizon, THINGS SETTLE. Gratitude does that. It lifts our eyes from what is shaking to the One who is steady.
And that leads us to the first challenge (or thought) of this text. Habakkuk’s story teaches that we must:
1. Acknowledge God’s Presence in Every Season
Again, gratitude isn’t tied to life’s circumstances. Like everything else in God’s economy—it’s an act of faith.
Gratitude trusts that God is sovereign, that He’s always present, and is working for our good.
Habakkuk’s story reminds us that:
We must acknowledge God’s presence in every season.
Look again at verse 16. Here Habakkuk says:
16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.
Habakkuk states how he feels with clarity. “My heart pounded…my lips quivered…my legs trembled.”
It’s clear, he’s afraid. The Babylonians are coming and tough times are on there way. But, while everything around him says, “Panic.” He chooses to respond another way.
So he says, “I will wait patiently…”
Did you hear that? That’s not the normal response to impending pain or bad news.
It reminds me of something Paul said in Philippians 4. He said, when we present our prayers to God (with thanksgiving), that we don’t have to be anxious about anything. We can stand in peace — patiently awaiting the unknown!
And I believe, that’s what was happening in this story (with Habakkuk). He was able to walk WITH PATIENCE, because he wasn’t walking alone. And this is where we see Habakkuk’s awareness of God’s presence.
While we didn’t read the whole chapter, you should know that the entirety of chapter 3 is a prayer. From the opening line, he is speaking to God, remembering God’s power, rehearsing God’s works in history, and he’s reminding himself of God’s character.
In fact, he keeps praying — because he senses God’s nearness. You don’t pray if you don’t believe God is listening (that would be absurd). But, by the time we reach verse 16, while Habakkuk is trembling…knowing some tough stuff is ahead — even so, he’s trusting God.
He’s shaken… but he’s steady. Because he knows God is near. And I believe this is where true gratitude begins.
Gratitude recognizes God’s presence in the middle of life’s hard places. It doesn’t deny the struggle, but it acknowledges God is close.
Gratitude says: “Yeah, things are hard… but God is here.” It says: “While the future may be uncertain… our God is not.” (Right?)
Let me give you a picture of what this looks like. As we approach Thanksgiving, we often forget the context of that very first celebration. The early Pilgrims gathered for their first Thanksgiving in the middle of deep personal and communal suffering. Their harvest was small. Their hearts were heavy with grief. Many of their loved ones had been lost to disease and hardship. Yet they gathered anyway — not because their lives were abundant, but because God was present!
APPLICATION: What if the greatest need in your life today isn’t a change of circumstances, but a fresh awareness that God is with you right where you are?
Maybe your circumstances are hard.
Or maybe you’ve been praying for something and the answer hasn’t arrived yet.
Or maybe you’re feeling pressures that no one else knows about.
If that’s the case — then here’s the challenge: Look for God in the middle of your story.
- Open your eyes to see where He’s working.
- Acknowledge His hand in the small things — those things most people would overlook.
- Pay attention to the ways He has carried you in the past.
Because gratitude isn’t pretending all is okay. Gratitude is saying, “Lord, You’re with me… even now!”
So in every season, in the calm and the storm, acknowledge God’s presence!
And that leads us to the second challenge of this story. And it’s this:
2. Give Thanks Before the Blessings Come
Look again at verses 17–18. Here the prophet makes one of the boldest declarations in all of Scripture:
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Habakkuk lays out the full weight of his reality. He names every visible loss.
No figs. No grapes. No olives. No harvest. No sheep. No cattle.
It is a picture of complete national collapse. Yet in the middle of that bleak reality, he makes a deliberate choice. He says:
“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord…”
He doesn’t say, “I feel like rejoicing.”
He doesn’t say, “I’ll rejoice when things get better.”
No…in the middle of the struggle, he chooses faith and responds with gratitude.
By the way, Habakkuk is the first one to pen the words, “The righteous shall live by faith.” This is actual a proclamation by God (in chapter 2). But Habakkuk believes it. And he chooses to live by it. And I think it’s the heartbeat of spiritual maturity. To live by faith and practice gratitude. It’s choosing to worship in the middle of the waiting (when things are hard). It’s giving God thanks before answers come.
This is why Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
He says, “rejoice always…pray continually,…and give thanks in all circumstances.” Notice, he doesn’t say, FOR ALL circumstances—but, IN ALL circumstances.
And that’s because gratitude must never be rooted in our circumstances.Our gratitude must be rooted in the unchanging character of God. He is good. He is faithful. He is trustworthy. He is able. He is our healer. He is our provider. He is our maker. He is our sustainer. He is constant. He is always aware. And for that — we give thanks! (Amen!)
This pattern shows up all through the ministry of Jesus.
- In John 6:11, before feeding the 5,000, Jesus first gave thanks — and the miracle followed. Thanksgiving wasn’t a response; it was the expression of faith that invited God’s provision.
- Again in John 11, standing before the tomb of his friend Lazarus, before anything changed, before Lazarus breathed again, before the stone was moved away, Jesus lifted His eyes and gave thanks to the Father. He thanked God in advance— before resurrection power was revealed.
His gratitude was rooted in faith, not inn His circumstance.
APPLICATION: So what about you? Where do you need to give thanks in advance of the miracle? Where do you need to give thanks before the blessing comes?
Maybe your portion in life feels small. Maybe your strength seems limited. Maybe this season hasn’t been all you dreamed it would be. Even so, choose to rejoice. Give thanks — EVEN NOW! Because, gratitude is not about the size of your blessing. It’s about the posture of your heart!
Which brings us to the final challenge of Habakkuk’s story. And it’s this:
3. Lean Into Gratitude and Be Steadied by God
Habakkuk ends his prayer with one of the most vivid images in Scripture. He writes:
“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights.”
Now remember — he’s not talking about a gentle white-tailed deer like we find here in South Carolina.
He’s describing a Middle Eastern mountain deer. He’s describing a nimble female ibex — it’s more akin to a mountain goat than it is our white-tailed deer. It’s an animal made for narrow ledges, rocky cliffs, and unstable slopes. They typically live in high-altitude, steep, mountainous regions.
While their terrain would be certain death for most — they move along with grace, confidence, and stability. They seem to thrive where others fail.
This image became very real to me last week. I’ve been an avid hunter most of my life, and just last week I traveled to Missouri for an annual deer hunt — Sitting high in a hanging tree stand, waiting quietly for that prize buck, my mind drifted to this very passage. I opened my Bible app… and as I read these words, several large doe walked silently beneath my stand. Beautiful. Alert. Graceful.
But the deer Habakkuk refers to are even more remarkable — built to handle adversity. They are strong, steady, and able to ascend the highest of peaks.
And I believe Habakkuk intentionally chose this image to convey what God can do in the heart of those who live for His glory — those who choose gratitude over complaint and despair!
And here’s where gratitude comes in:
Gratitude doesn’t just help you ENDURE storms — it EMPOWERS you to go through them.
- Gratitude strengthens your heart.
- It grows your faith.
- Gratitude today becomes the footing you will need tomorrow.
APPLICATION: So, how does this work in your life?
Maybe you are standing on ground that feels unstable.
Maybe you are facing a climb you never chose.
Maybe the road ahead feels uncertain, and you’re not sure you’ve got the strength to keep going.
Here is God’s invitation: Choose gratitude right where you are!
Not because everything feels secure, but because gratitude opens your heart to the strength God gives.
When you respond to God with thanksgiving, He will strengthen you for the next chapter of your story.
Conclusion:
Before we close, let me say this: This promise of steadiness and strength is not reserved for the spiritually strong. It’s not something you earn. It is a gift God offers through His Son, Jesus Christ.
The truth is, none of us can steady our own steps. We cannot climb life’s mountains in our own strength. We were never meant to. Only Jesus can do that in us. That is the heart of the gospel.
Jesus came to rescue us from our sin, restore our lives, and bring us back to the Father. He lived a sinless life, gave Himself on the cross, and rose again so that we could be forgiven and made new.
And if you will trust Him today, if you will acknowledge your need for Him and ask Him to forgive you, He will. He always responds to a humble heart that reaches for Him.
Hey, would you bow your head with as we close?
Closing Prayer
If you sense the Holy Spirit drawing you today to surrender to Christ, then would pray with me?
Heavenly Father, I admit that I have sinned and chosen my way over yours too often. But all that changes today. Because, I confess my sin before you. Today I profess my faith in Jesus. I believe He’s the son of God who came from heaven to earth, lived a sinless life, and sacrificed Himself in my place. Died and rose again. So today, I put my faith in Jesus. Forgive me, save me, and allow Your Spirit to live in me. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
If you just prayed that prayer — I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! That’s the greatest decision you’ll ever make.
And now, for the rest of us…let’s pray:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your steady, unfailing faithfulness. Teach us to give thanks, not because everything in life feels easy or secure, but because You are good, You are near, and You never change. Help us choose gratitude right in the middle of our story. Steady our steps when the path is steep. Strengthen our faith when we feel weak. And fill our hearts with a joy from Your Spirit that lifts our eyes above the circumstances we face and reminds us that You are with us. Make us a people who trust You deeply and walk with grateful hearts in every season. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.