It's something you have to learn how to do just like everything else. Ray can say he's thankful and wants more tribulation till the cows come home, but do you know how many YEARS it might have taken him to get to that point?!
Telling someone they ought to do something and expecting them to want to go off and start doing it immediately, and/or expecting them to know exactly how it's done are two different things.
Ask God for wisdom regarding this. The carnal mind is emnity with God. No one's thankful in all things in the beginning -- when they're carnal.
And since we don't know exactly what you're going through, for all we know it might have nothing to do with tribulation at all, but it might be the chastening of the Lord -- and you might be unthankful because you're despising it. In which case, it makes sense that you're not able to be thankful. Because no chastening in the PRESENT seems pleasant...
Hebrews 12:4
God Disciplines His Sons
4 You have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin.
5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to children, My son, despise not you the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and whips every son whom he receives.
7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not?
8 But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bas*tards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they truly for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless A-F-T-E-R-W-A-R-D it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them which are exercised thereby.
And p.s. I don't think Ray ever expected everyone who reads that to automatically and suddenly be having feelings of thankfulness. When I'm personally going through hard times, be they tribulation, persecution or judgment/chastening -- I have to FORCE myself (Yes! I know it's God operating in me to will -- so don't be offended by that statement, anyone! lol) to say to God, You know, this is not pleasant but I know there's a good reason for it.
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
He plans to give us hope and a future and it will happen! Because he can't take back His word. He can't and He won't. But it feels like he's got other things in mind. (His ways are definitely not my ways. lol)