As I was prayerfully considering what to write for this Monday Motivator, I received a note online asking me if I could call a pastor. This wonderful man of God serves in a church just a couple of hours away from me, and I have known him for several years.

That phone call felt all too familiar. A pastor needing to share the burdens of life and ministry with someone who could understand the pressures, the grief, the feelings of loneliness that come when ministry isn’t easy. And let’s be honest—ministry is very rarely easy. Everyone in ministry has stories of those moments when staff members stab you in the back, board members begin to secretly plot against you, or members of the congregation that were once supportive seem to suddenly have a change of heart. As I considered the situation that this pastor was sharing about, the Lord reminded me of my reading earlier in the day.

In 1 Samuel 20:34, we read these words: “And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.” Walter Henrichsen, in his devotional Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man, said, “Grief and anger are not the same, but they know each other well. Often the two go together, feeding on each other.”

“Grief and anger are not the same, but they know each other well. Often the two go together, feeding on each other.” (Walter Henrichsen)

Just listening to the story of this man, I experienced both of those feelings. Grief, as my heart was broken for a faithful servant of God who has sought to lead the church he ministers in to seek the face of God and to be a people of the Word. Anger, as I personally know some of the staff and board—and they know better than to do what they are doing. They have become tools of the enemy.

So why do I share this with you today? Well, some of you are undoubtedly walking through difficult times, and it may not be that you’re being stabbed in the back or have an unsupportive team or board members—you may be completely supported but still struggling, simply because life and ministry are difficult. The enemy is attacking you and your family in ways that seem almost unimaginable. And you are experiencing, as Jonathan did, some grief and anger. Henrichsen said in his devotional, “Mixing gratitude with grief is the only antidote to anger; anger is a manifestation of ingratitude. As you pass through the ‘valley of the shadow of death,’ express gratitude to God, for you know that all things work together for good to them that love God.”

So let me ask you—how is your level of gratitude today? What kind of metric do you use to measure your gratitude? Are you saying thank you, but in your heart continuing to wrestle with your grief and anger, or are you truly seeking the face of God, surrendering that anger, and expressing your gratitude to Him for the great gift of salvation? Are you expressing gratitude for the privilege of being able to call on His name? Are you expressing gratitude for that silent majority of your church family who are with you 100%? Are you expressing gratitude to the Lord for His faithfulness in your life? Are you expressing gratitude for your family and showing that to them? The Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians to “rejoice always.” This has nothing to do with our circumstances, and everything to do with our position in Christ. The word for “rejoice” here literally means joy, delight, and gladness. Our ability to rejoice comes from our position in Christ! Don’t lose heart! Although circumstances may be difficult, God is still on the throne.

Are you expressing gratitude for the privilege of being able to call on God’s name?

Let me conclude with the opening paragraphs of a prayer from The Valley of Vision. You will find it on page 210, and it’s titled, “Caring Love”:

“All sufficient King,

When I come into thy presence I see the glory of thy perfections,

the throne of eternal and universal empire,

the ten thousand times ten thousand who minister to thee.

Impress my mind with the consciousness of thy greatness,

not to drive me from thee but to inspire me to approach thee;

not to diminish my confidence in thee,

but to lead me to admire thy great condescension.

Thou hast been mindful of me and visited me,

taken charge of me from birth,

cared in all conditions for me,

fed me at thy table,

drawn the curtains of love around me,

given me new mercies every morning.

Suffer me not to forget that I look for yet greater blessings –

a hope beyond the grave,

the earnest and foretastes of immortality, holiness, wisdom, strength, peace, joy;

all these thou hast provided for me in Christ.”

Our ability to rejoice comes from our position in Christ! Don’t lose heart! Although circumstances may be difficult, God is still on the throne.

Copyright © 2025 Lindsay Taylor. All rights reserved.