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ePray | Lectio Divina: Ep. 76 Gratitude

Date: 19/10/26

Category: ePray

Tags: Gratitude October

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ePray | Episode 76| October 19, 2026
Lectio Divina: Gratitude
With Brenda Hamm – Steinbach Youth for Christ

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Lectio Divina: Gratitude
Date: October 12, 2026
Scripture: Psalm 100

Brenda Hamm

Part 1: Inward Focus

Hey friends, my name is Brenda and I’m a youth worker with YFC Steinbach in southeastern Manitoba. It’s really great to be here with other people who have the privilege of walking alongside young people today. Let’s spend a few minutes in Psalm one hundred with the theme of gratitude.
This psalm begins with
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness,
and come before him with joyful songs.
But as I read that, I wondered, what if I don’t feel joyful? As youth workers, we know there are seasons when ministry is hard and we carry stories, concerns, disappointments, and sometimes the weight of what young people are experiencing.
So how do we come before God with joyful songs when our hearts don’t necessarily feel joyful? I think Psalm one hundred gives us a way forward. Verse three says,
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Notice the first word. No, the psalmist reminds us to stop and remember who God is. God is good. He made us. We belong to him and he cares for us. Sometimes our circumstances can become so big that that’s all we can see. Ministry can become about the problems we are trying to solve. The young person we are worried about the conversation that didn’t go well, or the thing we wish we could have done differently.
Psalm one hundred invites us to lift our eyes again. God is still God. And then verse five gives us more reasons for gratitude.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever.
His faithfulness continues through all generations.
God is good. His love endures forever. He is faithful. Those things don’t change when our circumstances change. The psalmist knew that there would be times when we wouldn’t feel joyful, and maybe that’s why he gives us reasons to remember. Sometimes gratitude isn’t a feeling we wait for. It’s a choice to remember. We can remember what Jesus has done for us. Jesus defeated death. We can be grateful that he has made a way for us to know God. We can be grateful that he is with us in the difficult places. And we can be grateful that when our spirits are sad, he comforts us.
So perhaps our inward focus begins with a simple question what is one thing about God that I am grateful for today.
Take a moment and quietly name one thing you’re grateful for about God.
Pause

Part 2: Outward Focus

When we are grateful for who God is and what he has done in us, it can begin to change how we see the young people he has placed in our lives.

As youth workers, it’s easy to focus on what needs to change. We see the behaviour, we see the struggles, and we see the choices that concern us. But gratitude can help us see something else. We can become grateful for the young person God has placed in front of us.

Instead of only seeing the problem, we can look for the person God created. Instead of only seeing what is missing, we can notice what is there.

Instead of asking, how do I fix this? We can sometimes ask God, what are you already doing here? And sometimes when we’re struggling to find joy for ourselves, we can find joy in what God is doing in someone else’s life. We don’t have to pretend that everything is okay. We can be grateful and still be sad. We can be hopeful and still be concerned. Joy and sadness can exist together. We can come to God exactly as we are and say, Lord, this is hard, but you are still good and I don’t understand everything, but you are still faithful.

So as youth workers, perhaps our prayer can become God help me see this young person through your eyes. Help me notice what you are doing. Help me be grateful for the privilege of walking alongside them. Help me remember that I am not the one who has to do the work you are. And maybe we can take Psalm one hundred with us in three simple phrases.

Know that the Lord is God.

He made us and we belong to him.

Think about his goodness, his love, his faithfulness, and what he has already done. Let gratitude change how we enter our day and how we see the young people God has entrusted to us.

So I’ll leave you with one question.

What is one thing you consider something God is or something God has done that is worthy of you breaking into song?

Pause

Hold that one thing in your heart today, and perhaps as we go into our ministry, we can carry the words of Psalm one hundred with us. The Lord is good and his love endures forever. His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Part 2: Closing Prayer

We will close with an ancient prayer for God’s peace and protection as we entrust ourselves into His care.

O God,
 from whom all holy desires, all good counsels,
 and all just works do proceed:
 give to your servants that peace
 which the world cannot give;
 that our hearts may be set to obey your will;
 and that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies,
 may pass our time in rest and quietness;
 through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 Amen.

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