We prayed for the opportunity. When it came, we thanked God. We could see His goodness in the open door, and we knew how much we needed His help as we walked through it.
But somewhere along the way, the opportunity became ordinary. The paycheck arrived, the bills were paid, and life settled into a rhythm. What once moved us to gratitude became something we scarcely noticed.
Then something changed. A delay. An unexpected expense. A door that did not open the way we thought it should. Suddenly, we had much to say to God about what was missing.
It is worth asking what happened in the space between our first grateful prayer and our latest frustrated one. Had we become so accustomed to receiving a blessing that we began to believe we were owed it?
Moses understood the danger awaiting Israel as they entered the land God had promised them. They had known hunger in the wilderness. They had eaten manna they could not have provided for themselves. Their daily lives had carried reminders of their dependence on God.
Ahead of them were good land, abundant food, and houses in which they could settle. Moses told them:
“And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.” (Deuteronomy 8:10 ESV).
They were to enjoy what God gave them and remember Him in their satisfaction. But Moses also warned them about the change that could take place in a comfortable heart.
“Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’” (Deuteronomy 8:17 ESV).
Notice where those words could be spoken: in the heart.
They could remember how God had sustained them in the wilderness while quietly developing a different explanation for their present comfort. As their possessions increased, they could begin giving themselves the credit for what they enjoyed.
We can understand that temptation. We work hard. We make sacrifices. We learn, plan, save, and persevere. Those efforts are real. Yet even our ability to make them depends on gifts we did not create. We did not give ourselves life. We did not arrange every opportunity, every helping hand, or every circumstance that allowed our work to bear fruit.
When we lose sight of what we have received, taking credit can become a claim of deserving. We worked for this. We made the sacrifices. We did what we were supposed to do. Surely, then, we deserve to keep enjoying the result.
We may even bring our obedience into that reasoning. We have prayed, served, given, and tried to live faithfully. Somewhere beneath our disappointment, we begin to feel that God owes us a certain kind of life in return.
That is a searching thought. We can sincerely call Him Lord while carrying expectations we have never submitted to Him.
There is a difference between trusting God to keep His promises and expecting Him to preserve every circumstance we have come to enjoy. A blessing we received yesterday does not, by itself, become His promise that tomorrow will look the same.
That can be difficult to acknowledge, especially when the blessing matters deeply to us.
Grief deserves room here. Losing someone we love, facing uncertainty, or struggling through a painful change can bring tears and questions from a faithful heart. Scripture gives us many examples of people bringing their anguish to God. Thankfulness does not require us to pretend that loss does not hurt.
But even in our honest prayers, we can ask God to help us recognize the expectations we have placed upon Him. We can mourn what has changed while remembering that His goodness reaches beyond the circumstances we can presently understand.
Paul connects gratitude with something foundational in our relationship with God:
“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:21 ESV).
In Paul’s description of humanity’s rejection of God, withholding thanks belongs alongside failing to honor Him as God. That should cause us to take gratitude seriously. Our response to His goodness reveals something about the place He holds in our hearts.
When we thank Him, we acknowledge that we are receiving. We remember our dependence on His care and recognize His authority over our lives. Gratitude helps us approach Him with humility, including when we are asking for something we deeply desire.
Consider what happens when an opportunity we wanted goes to someone else. We may have worked faithfully and prayed earnestly. Disappointment is understandable. But entitlement can turn that disappointment into resentment toward the person who received it and an accusation against God.
A grateful heart has somewhere else to turn. We can bring our disappointment to Him, remember the ways He has already sustained us, and ask for help responding faithfully. We can congratulate the other person without pretending we feel no pain. We can continue doing good work without using our faithfulness as a bargaining chip. We can seek another opportunity while entrusting the outcome to Him.
That is kingdom character taking shape in an ordinary decision. Our expectations have been challenged, and we are learning to respond with humility, goodwill, and trust.
We can practice that kind of gratitude before disappointment comes. At our next meal, we can pause long enough to consider the provision before us. When someone helps us, we can acknowledge both their kindness and God’s care through them. When we pray, we can name a particular mercy and consider what it reveals about His goodness.
As we do, we may discover that some things we call ordinary are gifts we have simply stopped noticing.
And when resentment rises, we can examine the assumption beneath it. What did we believe we were owed? Did God promise it, or had we grown accustomed to having it?
Those questions can lead us toward repentance and renewed trust. They can help us receive today’s provision with open hands, use it to serve others, and face tomorrow as people whose hope rests in God’s faithfulness.
We do not have to wait until a blessing is gone to recognize that it was a gift.
As you sit with this teaching today, consider: What blessing has become so familiar that you rarely thank God for it? Have you mistaken an expectation of your own for a promise He has made? How might receiving His provision with fresh gratitude change the way you live today?
If you are willing, share your reflections or questions in the comments so we can learn and walk this journey together.
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