Remembering God's Faithfulness: Gratitude, Grief, and Discernment

Devotional

Day 1: Remembering God in Gratitude and Grief Together

God often invites His people to remember. Looking back on 2025, you are free to name both the warmth and the ache—gratitude and grief can sit at the same table. There’s no need to have a tidy story; simply tell the truth to God and, when appropriate, to one another. In the quiet, breathe deeply and notice where God met you in the quarters of the year. Trust that Jesus was present in both the bright days and the heavy ones. Let remembrance become worship that gently opens your heart for what’s ahead. [23:29]

Deuteronomy 8:2–3: Remember the long road the Lord led you—the humbling seasons and the testing that revealed what lived in your heart. He allowed you to feel need and then fed you, teaching that real life depends on every word God speaks more than on food.

Reflection: As you review one specific month from early last year, what memory holds both joy and ache, and how could you name it honestly before God this week?

Day 2: Listening for the Spirit in Community Discernment

In Christian community, listening is a holy practice. We listen to Scripture, to the Spirit, and to one another, believing that God often clarifies direction through a chorus rather than a solo. You do not have to fill the silence; simple, brief sharing can be enough for God to weave together a larger picture. Courage grows when we hear each other testify to God’s faithfulness in hard and good places. As you make space to listen, expect the Spirit to nudge, confirm, or gently redirect. Discernment is something we practice together, with humility and hope. [21:08]

Acts 13:2–3: While they worshiped and fasted, the Holy Spirit made the next step clear—set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work ahead. After more prayer and fasting, they laid hands on them and sent them out.

Reflection: Whose voice in your faith community could help you hear God’s invitation right now, and how will you make space to listen carefully this week?

Day 3: Practicing Attentiveness: Breathe, Notice, Name, Offer

Attentiveness begins with slowing down. Inhale and exhale, then name where you were, who was with you, what brought joy, and what brought pain. Offer these memories to Jesus without editing, trusting that He meets you in silence. Notice any small sign of His nearness—a conversation, a provision, a tear that felt seen. Let this simple rhythm—breathe, notice, name, offer—form a daily habit of prayer. Over time, it will train your heart to recognize God’s steady presence. [28:41]

1 Kings 19:11–13: A powerful wind shattered rocks, then an earthquake, then a fire; yet the Lord was not in those displays. Afterward came a gentle, low voice, and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face and stepped to the cave’s entrance to meet God.

Reflection: When could you set aside five unhurried minutes of silence to notice one concrete way Jesus made Himself known to you in the past season?

Day 4: Formed by Jesus Together for Others

Formation and discernment belong together. The future is not a blank canvas we fill alone; we attend to how Jesus has already been shaping us so we can follow where He is leading. Look for fruit that is emerging—patience, courage, generosity—and ask how you might lean in with greater faithfulness. Perhaps it means committing to a small group, serving someone in need, or showing up more consistently. Together we are being formed by Jesus for the sake of others, and our shared practices become channels of grace. Pray that God would establish the work of our hands as we walk this path side by side. [41:59]

John 15:4–5,8: Stay connected to me like a branch to a vine; when you are separated from me, you can’t produce anything that lasts. As you remain in me and bear much fruit, my Father’s splendor is made visible.

Reflection: What specific practice or relationship is the Spirit inviting you to lean into so that Christlike fruit can grow through you for someone else?

Day 5: Hopeful Steps into 2026 with Trust

Hope looks back with gratitude and forward with trust. God’s steadfast love has carried you through joy and sorrow, and that same love will keep you in the days ahead. Bring your gratitude, your weariness, and your uncertainty to Him; ask for rest, wisdom, and courage. As we step into 2026, offer your life again and ask God to make you attentive, faithful, and brave. Remember what God has done, trust what God is doing, and stay open to what God will yet do among us. Walk into the new year with a blessing on your lips and willingness in your hands. [01:05:35]

Psalm 90:12,14,17: Teach us to measure our days so we gain wise hearts. Satisfy us each morning with your faithful love. Make the work of our hands endure—yes, make it firm and fruitful.

Reflection: Looking toward the year ahead, what one work of your hands do you desire God to establish, and what small, concrete step will you take in faith this week?

Sermon Summary

Instead of a monologue, this gathering made space for communal gratitude and discernment—listening to one another, to Scripture, and to the Holy Spirit. The enduring biblical call to remember framed the time, not as nostalgia but as faithful practice. Remembering God’s goodness did not erase pain; grief and gratitude were welcomed as companions. Through guided silence, breath, and questions about each season of the year—Who was with you? What was joyful or hard? How did Jesus meet you?—people named truth before God and one another. The act of listening itself was practiced as worship, with brief testimonies painting a mosaic of God’s presence in ordinary and difficult places.

A prayer from the Psalms held past, present, and future together, asking for wisdom and for God to establish the work of our hands. Formation and discernment were woven together: the future is not a blank slate; it emerges by attending to how Jesus has already been shaping us. The community was invited to notice fruits that have been growing and to listen for the Spirit’s invitations toward deeper faithfulness and commitment. Being formed by Jesus is not private; it is together and for the sake of others. Elders and leaders helped name what God has been doing among them, while the whole community considered practices—presence, small groups, attentiveness, service—that align them with God’s ongoing work.

Looking toward 2026, the call was to live with attentiveness to the God who loves, sees, knows, and never lets go. A prayer asked for deepened gratitude where there is thanks, rest where there is weariness, and renewed trust where there is uncertainty. The community offered itself anew—asking to be formed by Jesus together for the world God loves, and to have their work established by God’s steady hand. The sending blessing echoed the day’s heartbeat: remember what God has done, trust what God is doing, and stay open to what God will yet do among us.

Key Takeaways

1. Hold gratitude and grief together Mature faith refuses to edit out sorrow in order to celebrate, or to mute joy in order to be honest about pain. Scripture gives permission and language for both realities to live side-by-side without competing. When both are named before God, our praise becomes truthful and our lament becomes hopeful. This is how hearts stay soft and awake to God’s presence in all seasons. [23:29]
2. Remember in order to discern Christian discernment doesn’t begin with a blank page but with remembrance. By tracing how Jesus has already met us, we see patterns of grace that point to future faithfulness. Paying attention to what God has been forming helps us ask better questions about what to do next. The past becomes a compass, not an anchor. [42:14]
3. Practice communal listening and silence Silence trains the heart to notice God; shared listening trains the heart to notice God in others. Brief testimonies and unhurried quiet work together to form humility, attentiveness, and mutual trust. Communities that listen well become places where discernment is not outsourced to a few but carried by many. This is how wisdom becomes a shared stewardship. [19:29]
4. Be formed by Jesus for others Spiritual formation is not a private upgrade; it is a communal becoming for the sake of the world. The measure of growth is love embodied—presence, service, and hospitality that spill over toward neighbors. Saying yes to practices and commitments anchors good intentions in real relationships. Formation that ends with us has not yet reached its goal. [42:37]
5. Offer your year back to God Gather up the memories—bright and heavy—and place them in God’s hands. Ask for established work, not merely busy work; for courage, not mere activity; for faithfulness over impressiveness. Surrender invites God to author fruit that remains, and it frees us to walk into the next season with quiet confidence. [65:35]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[19:13] - A different kind of gathering
[19:29] - Communal gratitude and discernment
[21:08] - Remembering as sacred practice
[23:29] - Gratitude and grief together
[25:14] - Guided reflection through the year
[29:29] - Open mic: testimonies
[40:39] - God holds anxiety and thanks
[41:38] - A psalm to hold time
[42:14] - Formation and discernment inseparable
[42:37] - Formed by Jesus for others
[43:29] - Leaning into faithful commitments
[63:24] - Series preview: Beholding the Beholder
[64:44] - Closing prayer of consecration
[90:21] - New Year benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Psalm 90:12, 17

Observation questions

In Psalm 90:12 and 17, what are the two specific requests made to God? How do those two requests naturally connect remembering the past with stepping into the future?
The community used simple prompts to reflect on each season: “Where were you? Who was with you? What joys or pains surfaced? How did God show up?” [24:31] What do those questions help people notice that might be missed in a quick year-end recap?
Why did the gathering include unhurried silence and breathing together before sharing? What was the hoped-for outcome of that pause? [21:08]
The sending blessing called people to “remember what God has done, trust what God is doing, and be open to what God will yet do” [01:30:21]. Which parts of Psalm 90 echo that movement across past, present, and future?

Interpretation questions

What might “teach us to number our days” (Psalm 90:12) mean in daily life? How could numbering our days actually help hold grief and gratitude together rather than choosing one over the other? [23:29]
How is asking God to “establish the work of our hands” (Psalm 90:17) different from asking for success or busyness? What kinds of work would God be likely to establish, and why?
Why is Christian discernment best practiced by remembering how Jesus has already been shaping us rather than starting with a blank page? What does that assume about God’s ongoing presence? [42:14]
What happens to a community’s wisdom and trust when listening is shared by many rather than outsourced to a few? Why might communal silence and testimonies form people in ways solo reflection cannot? [19:29]

Application questions

Looking back through Jan–Dec, name one joy and one grief. Who was with you in each? Where did you sense Jesus meet you in those moments? Share one brief scene from your year. [24:31]
Let’s practice a minute of slow breathing. As you breathe, what do you notice rising—tension, relief, longing? Is there a simple prayer from Psalm 90 you can whisper on the exhale (for example, “Teach me,” or “Establish my work”)? [24:54]
Where do you need God to “establish the work of your hands” this winter—home, school, work, neighborhood, church? What would established (lasting, God-shaped) work look like in that place compared to busy work that fades?
What is one small step you can take to practice shared listening—joining a small group, leaving 30 seconds of silence before responding, or inviting another’s story before sharing your own? Pick one practice to try this week. [19:29]
Where might the Spirit be inviting deeper commitment for the sake of others—showing up consistently, serving, offering hospitality, praying for a neighbor, mentoring a student? Name one relationship or practice to lean into. [43:29]
If part of 2026 feels uncertain, what is one concrete act of trust you can take this month (a conversation, a decision, a boundary, a rest day)? Who could walk with you so you’re not carrying it alone? [01:05:03]
Offer your year back to God. Is there a memory you still need to surrender or celebrate? How might you name it before God and to a trusted friend this week, asking God to establish what is good and release what is not? [01:05:35]

Sermon Clips

But today, what we like to do is share as we look back on 2025 and look forward to 2026, where are the places that God has shown up? Where are the places that in both the hard things and in the good things? And where do you think God might be leading us together as a community? And, again, there's no pressure to speak today. [00:19:51] (22 seconds) #LookingBackLookingForward

So we'll let scripture guide each moment. And after each reading, I'll offer a few prompts for us to think first and then come forward and share. And we'll off off we'll also have some moments of silence because often it's in silence that we find God meets us. So let's begin by looking back. This is a practice that we see if you read the Hebrew scriptures. Over and over again, God is saying to his people, remember, remember, remember, remember. [00:20:58] (30 seconds) #GuidedByScripture

I think these passages, show us that scripture and the Christian faith never ask us to choose between gratitude and grief. These readings remind us that remembering God's faithfulness and naming what has been hard, they are not competing acts. They actually often belong together. You know, most of us did not experience 2025 as either really, really good or really, really bad. And for most of us, it was probably a little of both. [00:23:19] (37 seconds) #GratitudeAndGrief

See, formation here at WCF, we really believe that that Christ forming work in our lives and discernment, they are inseparable. We don't imagine the future from scratch, like like empty canvas and all of a sudden God dumps something on it. We attend instead how Jesus has shown up, how Jesus has been shaping us, how Jesus has been at work in our lives, and then we listen for the spirit and how God may be inviting us forward to continue that work. [00:42:02] (35 seconds) #FormedByJesus

this final movement or the second movement brings together what has beak in in who we are becoming and who God is calling us to be in this next season. Who God is calling us as a community to be formed by Jesus as we've been learning it this past fall, being formed by Jesus together for the sake of others, for the sake of the world. So there's a couple of reflection prompts. You can continue if you wanted to share something. And gratitude, that's, of course, a welcome. [00:42:39] (28 seconds) #FormedForOthers

there's a couple of reflection prompts. You can continue if you wanted to share something. And gratitude, that's, of course, a welcome. As you reflect on our life together, where have you seen Jesus forming us as a community over the past year? What fruits have you recognized, begun to take shape in your life and in our life collectively? [00:43:01] (21 seconds) #JesusFormingUs

And as we look forward, where might the Holy Spirit be inviting us to lean in with greater faithfulness, greater commitment? We've heard this the the affirmation of community and love and care. Maybe that's a step that some of us are invited to take further. And what practices or relationships or commitments might God be asking us to step into together? [00:43:23] (26 seconds) #LeanInWithFaith

And I just invite you to hold this posture maybe for the next couple of weeks of just, God, what are you up to in my life, in our life together? If WCF is new to you, you're welcome to join us in this journey. And that's really what we believe the Christian life is about. It's just this invitation that Jesus extends to us. It's like, will you come along this ride with me and together with this particular gathered community? And so you're most welcome to do that. [01:02:55] (29 seconds) #JoinTheJourney

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Remembering God's Faithfulness: Gratitude, Grief, and Discernment

Devotional

Day 1: Remembering God in Gratitude and Grief Together

Day 2: Listening for the Spirit in Community Discernment

Day 3: Practicing Attentiveness: Breathe, Notice, Name, Offer

Day 4: Formed by Jesus Together for Others

Day 5: Hopeful Steps into 2026 with Trust

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Remembering God's Faithfulness: Gratitude, Grief, and Discernment

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