Finding God in the Things We Take for Granted
Psalm 37:4 (NLT) says, “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” Many people read this verse and immediately think it means God is going to give them everything they’ve been wanting. God does bless His people, but this verse points us to something even bigger. It shows us the kind of God He is. He’s good. He cares about us. He’s involved in our lives, even when we don’t realize it. As we learn to delight ourselves in Him, something begins to change. We stop looking at Him simply for what He can give us and begin enjoying Him for who He is.
One of the easiest things to do is overlook the goodness of God simply because we’ve grown accustomed to it. Often, what is good becomes familiar, and what is familiar is easily overlooked. Our needs are met, His provision continues, and before long we stop noticing what He has faithfully been doing all along. James 1:17 (NLT) reminds us, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.” Every good thing has its source in Him. None of it should ever be treated as ordinary.
God in the Everyday Things That Get Overlooked
Most of us expect to see God in the big moments of life. We look for answered prayers, unexpected blessings, open doors, and miracles. Yet much of His goodness is revealed in the things we experience every single day. The breath in our lungs. The sun rising each morning. The changing of the seasons. Seedtime and harvest. The rain that waters the earth. So much of what sustains our lives happens consistently, day after day, and many of us hardly give it a second thought.
In Acts 17:28 (NLT), Paul says, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” When you really sit with that, it starts to shift how you see your life. Because it means none of this is just floating on its own or holding itself together. Every breath, every heartbeat, every new day is still being carried by God, even when life feels normal, routine, or like nothing special is happening.
That’s why gratitude has to become a way of life for every believer. A lot of times the focus is on the “big” blessings, the show-stopper moments, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting more. But the real question is how we respond to what He’s already done. How do we take what He’s given us and actually offer it back to Him in a way that shows how much we love and appreciate Him?
When that’s where our focus is, we shift from just looking to always receive the extraordinary and recognize God’s hand in the everyday. Sometimes our perspective needs to change so that we become more aware of His presence and more thankful for His faithfulness.
When Gratitude Becomes Clouded
Gratitude is not always immediate or automatic. There are seasons when our attention becomes fixed on the prayer we’re still waiting for, the door that hasn’t opened, or the need that hasn’t been met. Before long, what is missing begins to overshadow everything God has already been doing.
God’s goodness hasn’t changed. His faithfulness hasn’t stopped. The same God who’s been keeping us from the beginning is still carrying us right now, even in the middle of whatever life looks like today. And it’s usually the small things we miss first—the little provisions, the everyday help, the things that don’t feel “big” enough to notice—but they still matter, and they still come from His love and care for us.
A Call to Wake Up and Notice
In moments when we slow down enough to really think, it becomes clear that gratitude isn’t about everything being perfect—it’s about being aware. It’s recognizing that God has been present in ways we may have overlooked. He’s been providing, protecting, strengthening, and sustaining us, even when we were too distracted or too discouraged to notice.
The more we recognize God’s goodness in the ordinary moments of life, the more our hearts are drawn toward Him. Gratitude becomes more than saying “thank You.” It becomes a way of seeing. It reminds us that every good thing points back to our Heavenly Father and every blessing, whether great or small, gives us another reason to love Him, trust Him, and glorify Him through Jesus Christ. ■
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“When We Forget to Notice the Goodness of God”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2026. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.