When “Thank You” Just Isn’t Enough

Thank You Father for being there.
Thank You for my life.
Thank You for my children,
Thank You for watching over my friends and family.
Thank You for looking out for all the little babies born today, whether here or into heaven.
Thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You.

Prayer
Father, sometimes I just want to fill this screen with thank Yous, and it still is not enough. I love You. Please help me do Your will. In Jesus name. Amen.

Thankfulness Is…

Some would say thankfulness is an emotion. Some may say it is an idea or perhaps an ideal we ascribe to. It has been called an attitude of the heart. Perhaps it is really all three. There are times when things are going “perfectly” and we may be thankful for the good times. There may be times when things are going badly and our heart cries out to God with thankfulness for the soon to come deliverance. There are times when things are just steady and we just keep moving forward to try to make the best of everything.

It seems to me that God reminds us often through the writings of those that have been through many trials, struggles, good times, and even affluence that thankfulness is a part of who we are. To me, It is that part of us once we become believers that states with Paul in Philippians 4:12-13 that I know how to be abased and how to abound. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. These are my hopes for myself and others, that we can at all times and in all situations give thanks to the God of our salvation.

Prayer
Father, Thank You for being the great King of the universe, and gracious toward us. There truly is none like You. Please send today the things all Your people need. Show up mighty and speedily. In Jesus name. Amen.

Every Day Has Its Choices

We serve an amazing God! Every day we are faced with choices. Are the scriptures real or not? Do they accurately and fairly describe our God or not? Every person is free to choose every day what they will believe for that day. The truth is, our choices can change from day to day.

Today, I thought, I want to choose to believe the scriptures. I want to choose to believe God is who He says He is there. What examples did I find today?

Isaiah 63:1. God says, “I who speak in righteousness mighty to save.” When He speaks there is power to change our lives. I remembered the song that says, “He is mighty to save.” Psalm 113:3 says, “From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised.” Again I remembered the song, singing parts of it. Thankfulness began to rise up in me. Psalm 112:1-3 speaks of how blessed are those that choose God, choose to fear Him, choose to delight in His commandments. Their families will be blessed. Both wealth and riches will fill their homes. Back in Psalm 113:7 God says He raises the poor out of the dust to sit with princes.

As I considered these things I realized, if I choose to believe the scriptures today, if I choose to believe today that God is who He says He is, then I am most blessed. I chose that for today. It made me feel very thankful, like an overflowing from deep within my heart.

Did you ever want to thank someone, but somehow the words, “thank you” just did not seem to cover it? Me too. This morning, while reading and writing. I decided, I chose, to just raise my hands and sing…

Prayer
Father, I thank You for being the King of the universe. I thank You for speaking to me this morning through the writing of others. I thank You that You never walk away, never turn Your back, never look at me and shrug and say, “What’s the use?” Instead, You choose to encourage me. You choose to light my path out of darkness. You choose to try one more time, every time I need You, which is basically all the time. I love You and I thank You and I raise my hands and my voice to You, My Deliverer King. In Jesus name. Amen.

More Than Mere Words

As I awoke this morning the birds were just beginning to sing. I thought to myself, “I love to hear those birds sing as they wake up.” My reading led me to the scriptures Psalm 111 and Proverbs 15:3. Psalm 111 is a picture of a person that is filled to the brim with praise for God, So full of praise are they that it overflows. The Psalmist talks about the works of God in eloquent terms, like glorious, honorable, wonderful, and so on. There are a couple interesting points made. He claims the works were made by God to be remembered. He also says God promises to provide for those that fear Him, and that He will also give them understanding. God’s works will last forever, and they stand in truth and justice. From this I concluded that when God wants something to be remembered, He makes it last forever.

The Proverbs scripture is more timeless, saying that God keeps watch on the earth and sees the just and the unjust. The scriptures on both sides of Proverbs 15:3 refer to the mouth and the tongue, and the result seems to indicate God is watching to see what is said, whether it is just or unjust. Even now as I continue to hear the birds sing, I wanted to write something about thankfulness. But what could I write? Should I write that I am thankful that God watches over us, which I am; or that He has made His covenant to last forever by writing His commandments and statutes in our hearts, which I am; or, is there something more fundamental here?

It occurred to me that the words of praise and thanksgiving are good. God appreciates them for sure. But there is something more in these scriptures, in all the scriptures really. He does not just want us to say thankful words, He wants us to BE thankful. Thankfulness is a state of being, like the Psalmist that is overflowing with praise to the point that he had to sing where ever he went. I am thankful that my family has food. I am thankful that the thunder and lightning did not harm us last night, and we slept out of the rain. I am thankful that God always remembers us. As I meditate on these things I sense a change within, a renewing of hope, of gratitude, and of peace. Perhaps this is the thankfulness state of being. It is more than mere words, for sure.

Prayer
Father, thank You for these feathered singers outside my window each morning. Thank You for the dry place to sleep and food to eat. Thank You for all of the people that You have made, and that You call to us to seek Your face. Thank You for allowing me a place at Your table, in the presence of my enemies. Thank You for life! In Jesus name. Amen.

Thanksgiving, Prayer, Praise, and the Face of God

This morning in my quiet time with God I was thinking about how we are faced every day with options for good and for evil. It seems that a part of the daily battle we face is in somehow actively choosing the good. If this is true, then God must have a plan and a method for us to do this. As I considered this, I thought of several scriptures that included the word thanksgiving. It seems there is a relationship between victory, prayer, thanksgiving, the face of God, and praise.

In Psalm 95:2 in the Hebrew it says we come before His presence (face) with thanksgiving (hands extended as if throwing or giving something actively). In Psalm 100:4 we enter the gates (opening) with thanksgiving (hands extended) and courts (walled in space) with praise (songs with instruments). In Psalm 147:7 we Sing (pay attention) to the Lord with Thanksgiving (hands extended).

Moving to the New Testament the word “thanksgiving” appears in places like Philippians 4:6 where it is tied to the requests we make to God through prayer with thanksgiving, Colossians 2:7 as a grounding to our faith, and in Colossians 4:2 where it is tied to prayer and watching. The word here in the Greek means actively grateful. Since these were written by Paul, a Jew well versed in the Hebrew scriptures and language, it is possible he chose this word because he knew about raising his hands. But what about a practical application?

In Exodus 17:11 there is a battle between Israel and Amalek. As long as Moses hands were up, Israel prevailed. As long as his hands were down, Amalek prevailed. It seems possible that Moses was giving thanksgiving for a battle that he knew God would fight along side them, and be victorious. If we will have faith and ask God for the victory by prayer and petition with our hands extended in thanksgiving, then we too can have God with us in the battle to prevail, even for something as simple as the battle for our thoughts in our minds.

Prayer
Father, thank you for the victories in our lives. Thank you for giving us the power over sin and death through the sacrifice of Your Son. We want to be Your people, and we hold out our hands to You to actively say, thank you. We praise You. In Jesus name. Amen.

It is easy for us, or at least for me, to quickly see all of life’s trials and tribulations. There are many, this is a challenging world to live in, and it can be overwhelming. When I begin to be overwhelmed, I force my mind to stop thinking about what I do not have and begin to think about what I do have. Today I am very thankful to God for so many things.

It turns out that God has given me a most wonderful mate in life. When there are times that I am concerned about the day to day demands of life, my wife smiles and says, “It will be okay. God is taking care of us, and the rest doesn’t matter.” Yes, I am very thankful to God for my wife. I am thankful that I can share thoughts with people around the world. I am thankful that God cares for every one of the people on this planet. I am thankful that he can provide for us all. The sun came up, my family is going about their routine, and God is watching over us. No matter what our trials are, God is bigger, and He can overcome them. Praise God!

Prayer
Father, thank you for being our God, the King of the Universe. Thank you for those that read these words today and are seeking You for answers in their lives. God, I ask that You bless those that are seeking You with their provision for today. Touch their lives in a way that they know that it is You watching over them. Do not let them be harmed. Thank you for protection, for provision, and for life itself. In Jesus name. Amen

Today I received prayer requests for two people that were hospitalized with infirmities that appeared without warning. In the news I saw an entire country have resources locked down in their savings institutions. Every day we face challenges, and many without warning. When I consider all that life has to offer, I am overwhelmed by the knowledge that in every moment, good and not so good, I have a very solid source to lean upon, to count on for help, and to trust. Jesus.

As I look at my life, I cannot help but wonder at Him giving up his so young for mine. He had the ability to make people feel comforted, to heal, to feed the masses, and yet He chose to lay down that future that I might have one. I say thank you to the person in the check out lane for the correct change, to the person that opens the door for me as I walk into the restaurant, to a friend helping with a concern I have in a phone conversation – how do I thank God for giving up so rich a life that I might have a shot at living?

Prayer
The only words I have seem so frail – thank you Father God, for Your Son’s death and resurrection. I don’t fully get why You would do this, but I will spend my life saying thank you and trying to do something with the life you have given me. Amen.