At All Times

Sometimes it is difficult for me to capture in words my thanks toward God. There really is so much to be thankful for these days that I can struggle with saying it. One thing that does show up for me when I want to thank God is knowing that I am not alone in this, that those that went before us have felt this very same feeling. When I need words to say more than just a thank you, I look to the scriptures.

Psalms 16:5 The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

David wrote this song. Certainly he faced more challenges than I have because he was a king. He ruled a country, fought in battles, and wrote songs to God. His responsibilities were far more than mine. But the description of how he feels about all that God is doing for him reminds me of what God does for us all. David blessed God for His counsel, even as God watched over him at night. There truly is joy in God’s presence, and we can experience that joy in part when we pray and thank God for His victories in our lives.

Prayer
Father, we exalt and honor You as the Most High. You alone are our strength and shield, the One that defends us at all times. Thank you. Thank You for being the One that gives us mercy and truth and grace. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Thank You for watching over our families and friends. Thank You for sending us deliverance, healing, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Let Good Manners Dictate

This morning with the warm spring sun shining through the forest and my window, warming my face, I thought about thanking God for this day. As I pondered being thankful, I wondered how often would it be good to say thanks to God for what He has done for me and my family. One of David’s psalms had a partial answer.

Psalms 61:1 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
5 For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.
6 Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: and his years as many generations.
7 He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
8 So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.

Here I saw several things. When David got to his greatest frustration or deepest depression, he called upon God. God was always there to shelter him. In verse five we see an interesting thing. Apparently there is a heritage that belongs to those that fear His name. The next verse says it is long life, preserved by mercy and truth. David’s response to it all was for ever praise, and daily time with God.

At first I thought this would be my answer, that daily saying thanks would do. But then I thought about what I was taught as a child. When someone gives you something or does something nice for you, you should say thank you. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that God is doing things for me throughout the day. In fact, God gives me life and breath, and mercy and truth continually. Literally it would be good to thank Him any time, all the time. Just like for ever praise I should be for ever thanking Him for all He is, has, and will do for me and my family. If I sing that, it becomes forever praise.

It is my hope that I can be mindful of God often enough to be thanking Him throughout the day. Sometimes I just get too caught up in the things that I think are important. Today I am going to make an effort for at least one day to say thank you many, many times throughout the day. It will be interesting to see the result.

Care to try this with me today?

Prayer
Father, we praise and thank You, and exalt You as the Most High God. You alone are our strength and defense. Keep Your wings over us that we might be covered from the storms of life. Drive away our enemies, and let them know that we are Yours. Please forgive us when we wonder off, and reel us in to Your arms with mercy and truth. Send today Your healing, Your deliverance, and Your provision in such a mighty way that all men will know it is You alone. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Thankful Heart

It seems easy to thank God when things go our way. We should do this for we believers know that God is on our side. For me, I can struggle when things do not go my way, or the way I think they should go. Let me share an example.

Last night I had to take a trip that was more than two hours one way to my destination. The purpose of the journey was to meet with someone face to face to discuss business, and they set up the meeting. I arrived early, they arrived late. It was a somewhat social gathering so others spent time talking with me, and the people I was to meet showed up and were told I was there. I continued to speak with the person I had met, talking with him about how his daughter was born premature. After a couple hours I looked up and the people I was there to meet had left with out so much as a hello. I eventually left and was upset, calling my business partner and telling him what had occurred. I was upset about being treated badly all the way home. This morning God began to speak to me about a thankful heart. It seems David got this right.

Psalms 138:1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

David had a thankful heart toward God, singing praise to God in front of the opposing forces. We likely all agree this is a good thing. But why would he choose to do this? I believe David had learned the basic truth that praising God and singing praises to God in the face of adversity was his weapon for victory. It showed He trusted God more than what he saw in front of him, more than what he experienced. He knew that God was working in it all, and through praise he could obtain the actual victory.

I want to be like that, don’t you? The next time I feel offended or in some way cast down, I will praise God with a thankful heart and watch the victory come!

Prayer
Father, we thank You and exalt You as the Most High. Thank You for Your blessings in our life. Thank You for showing up in all circumstances to deliver us. Thank You for giving us healing. Thank You for providing for us. Please forgive us when we surrender our hearts to bitter thoughts. Please send all these blessings today that all men might see that You alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

God Gives Us Strength

This morning as the sun rises slowly outside my window an a rainy forest, I was thinking about all we as believers have to be thankful for in this life. It can be true that we have struggles and trials that seem difficult to us. But it is also true that there are good times, and even more true that God watches over us to provide for our needs. I know for me at times I wish the better things would happen faster. But then, we have an eternity with God, and He will bring to pass what He has promised.

Psalms 28:1 Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.
3 Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.

Our God hears us when we cry out to Him, as the psalmist here is proclaiming. We just need to see that He is not only on our side but He is the one that cares for us every day. He keeps us from evil if we call upon Him. He provides for our every need, always. In this psalm the writer addresses this at the end.

Psalms 28:6 Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
8 The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

We are God’s inheritance. He will provide for us, and lift us up, forever. For that we can be truly thankful.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You today. You are our provider. You watch over us and care for us. Please keep us from evil, and forgive us when we transgress Your ways. Deliver us from evil, and from evil men. Keep us on Your path and in Your way. Send us today Your healing, deliverance, and provision. Show us a sign for good, that all men might know that You alone are God. We thank You for all these things. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Awakening The Thankfulness

Have you ever been through a period of time where things seemed pretty rough and you drew closer to God? I think most of us have. Sooner or later, life gets better and at first we are very thankful and grateful to God. Sometimes though I know it has been true for me that if that period of good times seem to continue, I can find myself forgetting to be thankful, or at least as so readily thankful. In speaking with other believers there are a number of them hat have said t me that they have had that same experience. It makes me a little sad when I think that I could forget to say thanks to God sometime. That is one of the reasons I started writing everyday. David spoke of this often.

Psalms 63:1O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

In the desert David found time early in the morning to praise and thank God for all He had been. Those that experienced the scriptures first hand that we read seemed to have found a way to awaken the thankfulness within themselves. David was not alone.

Isaiah 26:8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Isaiah had this same experience it would seem. He sought God day and night, knowing God was on his side. These are just a few examples of how those that wrote what they experienced back then knew to be thankful.

Today, if we want to be like them, in good times and bad, we can. If we make the time we set aside day and night with God as valuable, it won’t get away from us. We too can awaken that thankfulness within us.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. We want to thank You for giving to us the chance to walk with You in Your ways. We want to thank You for all You sent before us that walked in Your ways as an example to us. Please forgive our missteps. Please help us find Your way. Please send today Your healing, Your deliverance, and Your provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

What To Say

Last night before going to bed my wife and I were discussing some psalms. They made me think about how merciful our God is, and how we get to choose our lives’ paths. It would be so much easier if God just programmed us to only do His will. As a father I want my children to do the things I taught them growing up. But my older children are on their own, and I want them to do the right things in life and to live good lives. At some point they have to choose. Our heavenly Father is no different. He wants us to choose the good things that He has shown to us. I saw this in the psalms we were discussing.

Psalms 56:6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.
7 Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.
8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
9 When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.
10 In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word.

God is watching over us. He gives us the power to do good, or not. When we try to walk in His ways and call out to Him, He answers and protects us. He sends us His deliverance. He defeats our enemies.

Psalms 24:4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

We can be that generation that seeks the face of God. It is hard to imagine what it must have been like in the times of Moses, seeing the plagues come upon Egypt, and then finally setting out to the promised land. In the desert and crossing the Red Sea, seeing all that went on is hard to comprehend. Sometimes I wonder if I would have been any different than the children of Israel that doubted. Much of life seems to be a journey around the same mountains, trying to decide if we will really trust our God or not. It seems like it should be easy to trust, but somehow it is not, or at least for me it can be a challenge at times. The times that I have faced the biggest challenges and decided to trust God, I see now they were just that. A choice. They are also something else. They are a declaration of who we really are inside, a statement of what we really believe. God has a word of encouragement for that as well.

Psalms 24:7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

You see, we are the doors to the kingdom of God for those that do not believe. Our lives are an opportunity for those that do not believe to see what God has in store. The question is, what are we really revealing to those around us with our lives? Do they see God’s kingdom? Do they see Jesus in us? And if we really understand what God has given to us and to those we love and care about, what do we say with our lives and our mouths?

How about just saying thanks?

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. We are more blessed than we can understand to have You on our side. Our world has so many distractions in it. It is not easy, Father, to stay on the right path, but it seems like it should be. Please help us to see You and do Your will. Please help us to walk in Your way. Please help us to help those around us find their way and have their needs for healing, deliverance, and provision met. Please send us today, now, Your healing, deliverance, and provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Thankful For Teachers

Those that teach have both a rewarding and a challenging profession. I think of the teachers in the public school systems like my daughter and think about how challenging it is for them to help their students. They have to work to move the minds of the youth, and sometimes they are the only positive influence in their lives. Once the student is our of their classroom, the student no longer has direct influence. As believers this is not true for us.

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

There was a time when those that wanted to follow God had to look outwardly for all input and direction. WE had to look outwardly to the Law. But as Paul says here, we have now put on the Messiah and we no longer have to look outwardly to a school teacher. Jesus lives in our heart. In the New Covenant, we now have the Law within us.

Hebrews 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Jeremiah foretold of the day when the law would be written in our hearts and Paul quoted him in his letter to the Romans. Today we can take the influence of God, the Law, with us everywhere because when we asked for forgiveness and for our Messiah Jesus to be our Lord, God wrote the Law in our hearts. Today we can know everywhere we are how we are to walk. That does not mean we will always be right. If only it were so easy. It does mean that we always have access to knowing, and if we will cry out to God, He will help.

That is worthy of being thankful for, I believe.

Prayer
Father, we exalt and declare before the world that You alone are the Most High King. Please forgive us for the things we do wrong. Thank You for sending Your Son to die that we might live. We ask today that You give us Your healing, Your deliverance, and Your provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

God Hears

Today one thought is most prevalent as I write and pray. Thank You. Okay, so that is two words. Maybe thankfulness will cover it. There are so many challenges in life, but God knows that. He delivers us out of them all. We need to trust in His goodness, that He is our loving Father. And when we forget that, we can still ask Him to forgive us and deliver us, and He will do that, because He is our Dad. The psalmist wrote about this.

Psalms 106:44 Yet he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry;
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant
and out of his great love he relented.
46 He caused all who held them captive
to show them mercy.
47 Save us, Lord our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.

At the beginning of this psalm the writer is praising God for His deliverance. He then tells the story of how the children of Israel would forget that God was good, and that was why they perished in the wilderness. He also says we are the same. It is sad that we struggle trusting that God will deliver us. However, He always does.

Today, I am very thankful for that.

Prayer
Father, we thank You and praise You as the Most High. Please forgive us when we have doubts. Help our unbelief. Deliver us from the evil that is around us, into Your light and rest. Please send us Your healing, deliverance, and provision today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

When God Moves

Perhaps you have experienced one of those moments when something has happened in your life that you were hoping for and it came in a way and time that made you take a deep breath, look up, and say “Thanks!” to God. We have all had these moments, I believe. A friend of mine told me that recently he was in tough financial shape, but somehow kept praying, knowing that God was going to deliver him and his family. Suddenly, almost every avenue of provision he had prayed for came to pass in a period of less than two weeks, plus one he had not even considered. He said it made him feel very humbled, and thankful that God would do such a thing for him and his family. As I though about that today it reminded me of some scriptures.

Psalms 114:1 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;
2 Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.
3 The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.
5 What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?
6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;
8Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

Here we see the psalmist extolling the works of God, saying that even the mountains and the seas jump in God’s presence and at His command.

Psalms 96:6 Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
8 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice

Here we see the psalmist telling us and all creation to come before God and offer thanks and praise. In reality, I think if we will allow ourselves to believe and trust in God, and we give Him thanks and praise, we will see these times of mighty deliverance more often. They will become our way of life, and not something that we rarely see.

To God be the glory forever and ever!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. Thank You for all You do. Thank You for all the blessings You bring into our lives. Thank You for reaching out to us and guiding our ways. Thank You for bringing to us deliverance, healing, and provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Remembering To Be Thankful

This morning we awoke to thunder and lightning. That may not seem like much, except that two days ago the shut the schools down because of five inches of new snow on top of several feet of snow already on the ground. Watching the flashes in the sky light up the white covered ground before sunrise was fun in a way. It meant the thaw is coming, the deliverance from winter. I found myself feeling thankful, and I remembered the power in giving thanks.

How do you feel about your attitude of thankfulness toward God? Are you doing okay, or do you sometimes forget to thank God even before the deliverance comes? Sometimes, I am not thankful enough, and other times I do a good job of remembering from where all that I am supplied comes. It is my hope that one day I become a person who lives in a state of thanksgiving. Those that wrote the psalms seemed to understand this very well.

Psalms 147:1 Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
6 The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

Here the psalmist is continually thanking God for all He does. In verse six he is even praising God for casting the wicked to the ground. That is followed in verse seven by the psalmist telling us to sing to God with thanksgiving. This is just one more example where we see that giving and singing thanks is connected to God’s deliverance and victory for His people.

Today, if you need a victory, sing of it to God with thanksgiving, praising Him for His healing, deliverance, defense, and provision.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone are our King. You alone deliver us, heal us, defend us, and provide for us. Today we give you glory, and honor, and thanks for all these things. And we thank You for being our God and King! In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.