Thursday, September 4, 2014

The Thankful Road

The road we traverse in our walk with God is largely up to us. We can choose God’s way, or not. That may sound like an oversimplification, because we all know how tremendously complex life can be. But in a way, that is really the point. Although the draw to think about and be wrapped up in the many distractions that are not God is significant, going that way in mind or deed is a choice.

We can choose to commit to thinking about God and acting in a way that He would choose for us. Our God is trying as He always does to constantly remind us of His path. He is trying to tell us of the benefit of allowing Him to be God, watching over us to keep us safe and whole. And He has provided us with means to that end in the form of prayer and praise.

Psalms 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

One of the first things we can do is be thankful. If we will offer up our praise and thanks, the thankful road appears and we head down a path that leads to God and His ways. If we choose the distractions, the thankful road becomes very hard to see. Today, take time won’t you to say thank you to God and sing Him a little song? If you are like me, it may just be a joyful noise (I am not a great singer), but to God, it is another one of His kids singing and He is a happy Father watching.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. We offer You our thanksgiving as a sacrifice to You for Your abundant wisdom. You alone are worthy of all honor and glory. Let Your kingdom come, let it rise up on our prayers and praise to You. Build up Your fortress of truth that we can enter in and be safe. Send us Your abundant provision today. Help us to see Your ways, and then give us the strength to choose to do them. You alone are worthy for us to follow. We choose You and we choose life. Forgive us when we don’t make the right choices. Help us to always find our way back to You. Send us Your miraculous healing – physical, spiritual, and emotional – that we might serve You and that all men might know that You alone are God. Deliver us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.