L'importance de la gratitude pour entendre la voix de Dieu

Gratitude is more than a polite gesture or a seasonal tradition—it’s a spiritual practice that helps us connect with God in a deeper way. The Bible frequently calls us to be grateful, and Psalm 100:4 offers a profound insight: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” Gratitude is a gateway to God’s presence, and it transforms how we hear His voice.

Gratitude - and when I say that word, I mean the true, deep, feeling of gratitude, not just naming a list of things we feel like we should feel grateful for - it shifts our focus.

When we don’t feel gratitude, it’s often a sign that we’re operating under false beliefs about God, ourselves, or our circumstances. The truth is that God is good, generous, and powerful. He is sovereign over every situation and is always working all things for our good (Romans 8:28).

Gratitude is the rational response to these truths because it flows from trusting in God’s character and His promises. If we aren’t feeling grateful, it’s likely because, at some level, we’re struggling to believe these truths. Perhaps we doubt God’s goodness, question His provision, or feel overwhelmed by circumstances that seem out of His control. When we recognize this, we have the opportunity to bring those doubts to Him, allowing His truth to realign our hearts and open us to gratitude once again.

There is no shame here! We all struggle to keep what is true about God, reality and ourselves top of mind in the midst of difficult, or even everyday circumstances. Thankfully, we can cultivate a practice of gratitude and with the help of the Holy Spirit, thought by thought and moment by moment work to build on small gratitudes until we are able to "rejoice always," as we are called to do in Scripture. "The Spirit helps us in our weakness" - He is the comforter, the advocate, the one who reminds us of what is true, and we need God's voice to help pull us out of ourselves and into a grateful heart.

When we acknowledge God’s blessings enough to feel blessed, even in difficult seasons, it opens us up to His perspective on the big picture of our lives. Instead of being consumed by our circumstances, gratitude tunes our hearts to see God’s faithfulness and provision, first in single instances and then gradually widening to all of our lives.

This change in focus makes us more receptive to His voice. We are able to see that He is present and believe what He's speaking to us, because we aren't locked in mindsets of bitterness, scarcity, or anxiety. Suddenly His words of love, comfort, promise, and provision are more believable because we believe and are feeling like what He's already said is true. This is why gratitude is key to entering into God's presence and hearing His voice clearly.

Science even supports this idea. Neuroscientists like Dr. Jim Wilder explain that when we feel gratitude, our brain’s relational circuits are activated. These circuits are crucial for connecting with others—and with God. Without them on, we can't have moments of genuine, reciprocal connection. Gratitude helps quiet anxiety, stress, and noise, creating the stillness we need to hear God clearly. If you'd like to read more on this topic, I'd highly suggest checking out one of his books or the articles on his blog.

Practicing Gratitude to Hear God

Cultivating gratitude doesn’t have to be complicated or take a long time. A simple journaling practice can help you pause, reflect, and recognize God’s presence in your life.

Here are two methods to get started:

• Micro-journaling with Your Five Senses: Think of a recent moment that brought you joy or peace. Using your five senses, describe that moment in detail. What did you see, hear, smell, taste, or feel? This practice anchors you in the present and helps you savor the good gifts God has given you. You don't have to write out huge paragraphs with this, either. Try listing out these sensory notes in bullet point form. 

• Example: I'm thankful for the dinner I had with my siblings last night! I loved seeing us all around the table laughing. I loved smelling the food we all brought to enjoy - chicken pot pie, potatoes, veggies, and a hearty vegan salad by my sister. Hearing the sound of my daughter laugh as they played with her toy walker. Loved the tahini dressing my sister added to the salad, and the taste of the chocolate mousse I made. Thankful for the feeling when I see them all love my daughter so well as aunts and uncles. Thankful for warmth as the weather gets colder outside. 
• Example 2: Dinner with siblings! Laughter. Chicken pot pie. Tahini dressing. Playing with baby's walker. Chocolate mousse. Talking all at the same time. Warm home. Aunts and uncles. Family. Home.

• Journaling the “Why” Behind Your Gratitude: Choose one thing you’re grateful for and dig deeper. Why does it mean so much to you? How does it reflect God’s heart or character? What does this gift show you about the Gift Giver and His heart towards you? Answering this question helps drive deeper into your heart the reality that God is personal with you, He loves you and has uniquely given you exactly what you need in this season. 

• Example: The dinner last night means so much to me because I really love my siblings and I love that we have a good relationship as adults. We are all busy but I am thankful we take time to spend time together and that we all think that's important. God gave me the best family and it shows His generosity and love towards me. He knew how each sibling and how my parents would uniquely compliment our family. It also shows that He can work in hard situations. My siblings and I didn't always get along, but over time as we grew our bond has gotten a lot better. I can have hope for other situations where I want to see change.

Gratitude in Action

This week, as we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States and Small Business Saturday, I’m reminded of how grateful I am for this journey of launching Laurent Paper Co. Starting this business has been a step of faith, and seeing God’s hand in it has deepened my trust in Him.

When I am anxious about my business, when I am stressed after long hours of investment without a break, when I am comparing myself to other business owners, when I forget that God called me to this work and instead feel like I'm having to do it all alone, it is harder for me to find the Holy Spirit's voice of comfort and love and guidance as believable, and therefore harder for me to hear it at all. 

But then I remind myself of all these things:

• That God gave me this idea after I had prayed for help in this area.
• That God provided a means of learning how to start a business and get this journal printed.
• That God has provided help, encouragement and customers from my personal network and beyond as this has grown.
• That God has provided new friends along the way as I share my heart and find like-minded creatives to connect with.
• That God gave me this work that is so FUN to do every day, and the means by which to do it despite the other things I have going on in life. 
• That God takes care of my family step by step even in the unknowns of a new business venture.
• That God continues to give me more ideas than I know what to do with in furthering this journey.

And when I sit with all these truths, and all the other truths that ground my Christian walk, and my life outside of this work, I am much more able to hear God's voice, believe it, and walk according to it. 

I hope this inspires you to reflect on your own moments of gratitude.

Fighting for gratitude is a fight that is worth fighting, friend. God is the giver of every good gift and His fingerprints are all over your life. Hold onto Him by giving thanks, today and everyday.

If you’re looking for a way to make gratitude a habit and grow in hearing God’s voice, consider the Name Your Year Journal. I specifically included gratitude as one of the prompts to engage with every month because I know how pivotal it is to hearing God's voice.  The journal is designed not only to help you document your gratitude, but also to move from that grateful heart to a lifestyle of continually hearing God's voice and living out His purpose for your life. 

Don’t miss out! The journal is still on sale for Black Friday this week only. Grab yours today and start your gratitude journey with God.

Let’s enter God’s presence with thanksgiving and hear His voice with renewed clarity.

What are you grateful for today? Share in the comments below!