God is so good. He is faithful, and his love and mercy is unfailing. Have your ever wondered if God cares about the little things in life? I have a lot actually. I know beyond a shadow of doubt that he cares about everything. IF he knows when a sparrow falls and how many hairs I have on my head, why would he not care about a small, insignificant things? This post, is random...lol...I am thankful, very thankful today. I don't always articulate the best what I'm thinking, but there are a couple things I'm excited about and thankful for. Last night I was reading a book called "Kitchen Table Counseling" and the author quoted the following verse:
What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
I shall lift up the cup of salvation
And call upon the name of the Lord.
I shall pay my vows to the Lord,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His godly ones.
O Lord, surely I am Your servant,
I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid,
You have loosed my bonds.
To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
(Ps. 116:12-17)
Hmmm...read it again.
For all the benefits of God towards me, I will give You a sacrifice of Thanksgiving. Benefits? Yeah, the good deeds or whatever enhances well-being. But you know, sometimes the circumstances we don't ask for, can be enhancing moments too. Thanksgiving, by definition, is: the act of giving thanks, a prayer expressing gratitude and a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness. There are no "buts" in thanksgiving. We don't just thank God for the things that are good and praiseworthy in our lives, we should thank God across the board for what he's done with our lives, through our lives and in our lives.
God understands our hearts, he understands our hurts, and disappointments, he understands our joys, and our trials and temptations. When we offer thanksgiving to God, we aren't just thanking a spiritual being or someone that gives us everything we want or, haha, sometimes don't want. We are thanking and expressing gratitude to God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. God formed the universe! He carved mountains and valleys, splashed the milkway into existence, showered a cliff with a waterfall, lit the night skies with stars, and warmed the earth with the sun.
He designed the human body and he intricately made each and every plant and flower. He crafted birds with wings and animals with fur and hair. He made the universe and cares about each and every worry or joy of his children. He hears us and answers us, every single time we talk to him, God hears us and listens. Walk through the Bible this week and look for instances where God interacted with someone's life, Old and New Testament. Make a list...and I can promise you, it will continue to grow and grow, especially if you continue walking up through history, past Bible times and up to the present.
He cares. He will always care. He will always love and show mercy and justice. He is the Good shepherd, he is the Ransomed of Heaven, he is the suffering servant, He is I AM, He is bigger than any problem and cares about a simple sparrow falling to the ground. There are moments to be angry, joyful, penitential, praising, and etc in talking to God, be thankful today. :)
Thank God today. Start with praising him for WHO He is, thank Him for Jesus and Jesus in your life. Then thank him for the benefits and for the things you don't understand. Give those things up to Him and let him turn them into enhancing moments too.
May the grace and love of God be with you all.
