"Give
thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His love endures forever."
Psalm 107:1
I had a “life lesson” today which
came out of a conversation with my 17 year old son. He is a guitar player and
last night during band practice before SNL, one of the strings on his electric
guitar broke. Fortunately, someone else at the church loaned him their guitar
so he could play during service, but he needed it replaced before Wednesday so
he could play for College20s. This morning I dropped him off at school and
headed to the guitar store to purchase a new “high e” string. The gentleman at
the store told me that it was more economical to purchase an entire pack of new
strings, rather than just the one. Since we are always working within a tight
budget, it made more sense to me to go for the value, rather than just the one
string; especially since I just bought him strings last month!
When I picked my son up from school,
I told him what I had purchased. Our conversation went something like this:
ME: I bought you two packages of strings today because it was
more economical than to purchase just one string.
SON: But I only needed the one string.
ME: Yes, but now you have extras in case any of your other
strings break.
SON: But the only string that ever breaks is the “high e”. This
seems like overkill.
ME: A “thank you” would have been nice.
For our family, anything that is out
of the ordinary expense-wise is a sacrifice, whether it’s a guitar string, new
glasses, a flat tire or a pizza. If it’s not an ordinary, living expense, it
causes us to sacrifice something else in order to supply whatever this “extra”
need may be. As I was brooding over this sacrifice and what I perceived to be
his lack of thankfulness, my heart was pierced with a thought:
Am I sufficiently thankful for the sacrifice made for me?
It is so easy for us to take for
granted the things supplied for us or given to us. I know in my heart that
Jesus’ death was the sacrifice required for my salvation; the sacrifice that
allows me to have relationship with God. Face to face! In His presence, anytime
I want or need. And for this I am truly thankful, beyond what words could
possibly convey. But how many blessings do I receive from Him for which I’m
insufficiently grateful?
- How many victories have I gained? Am I only grateful for the BIG battles won?
- How many joys have I experienced? Is it only the seemingly miraculous things that bring me joy?
- How many healings have I received? Do I merely perceive the life-threatening diseases to be the only ones that are worthy of bringing to Jesus’ attention? Am I grateful for the headache that goes away or the quick healing of a wound?
- How many provisions have I received? Do I recognize that the blessing of finding $10 in my pocket is just as miraculous as having someone give me a car or pay my rent?
Life is full of what the world
around us would call coincidences. But I don’t believe in coincidences; I
believe in the faithfulness of a loving Father, His goodness, His kindness and
His mercy.
Psalm 91 says, “Whoever dwells in
the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I
will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I
trust” (Psalm 91:1-2).
As you continue to read through the
chapter, the writer goes on to say:
- He will save you (vs. 3)
- He will cover you and be your shield (vs. 4)
- You will not fear (vs. 5)
- He brings victory (vs. 7)
- You will see His justice (vs.8)
- No harm will come to you (vs.10)
- No disaster will come near you (vs. 10)
- Angels will guard you (vs. 11)
- He will rescue you (vs. 12)
- He will protect you (vs. 14)
- He will deliver you and honor you (vs. 15)
- He will ANSWER you!! (vs. 16)
Thank you, God, that not only do You hear me,
but You ANSWER me!
Today I was reminded to be thankful
in all things, big or small. Everything I have is because of Him and is
directly related to His sacrifice for me. To be less than grateful would be to
ignore His goodness.
Are you thankful today?
‘Lena
©Whispers in Worship, 2014
