THANK YOU LORD!
There is a new song out by Chris Tomlin called “THANK YOU LORD.” It is just all about giving God praise and thanksgiving. I was thinking about this song the other night, while watching the news. Sinful nations, fire, flooding, loss of life and property. How does a person find thanksgiving in the middle of all that? When a person loses everything, how can they be thankful? Jesus told us we would have trials here on this earth. We all go through problems every day. How can we be thankful on those bad, stressful, painful days?
In 1999, my aunt and uncle went through the Moore, Okla. tornado. Everything they had was destroyed. When my uncle came out of the cellar, their home was flattened, except for one wall that still had a dresser standing and a clock on the wall above it and the walls around the bathtub. They did not even have a toothbrush. My aunt took a long time to come out of the cellar. She was petrified!
A few months later, when I was able to talk to her, I asked her how she was doing. She said she never asked God why me, but rather thanked Him for keeping them safe. She said why not me? Just because she was a Christian did not mean that she would not have grief, fear and sorrow. She said when you lose everything, that is when you begin to realize what is truly important in this life. We have the promise, as followers of God, that we will have a home in heaven one day. That is our goal-our promise-our peace from this world when things don’t go the way we would like. All they lost that day was just stuff. Sure, there were some irreplaceable items. My uncle’s bible was one of those things. A farmer later on, found my uncles bible in his field with his cows. I was so blessed to get to thumb through that bible before he passed away. At his funeral, my cousin had that bible displayed. It was duck taped together. When you looked into that bible, I don’t think there were any verses he had not highlighted. (It was multicolored, so I wonder if he had a system with those colors. I wish I would have thought to ask him.) I am sure that on the day he got that back, he thanked God.
Those of you who have been reading my blogs, or have read my books, realize that I have gone through some struggles. Struggles at times that I questioned why. Struggles that threatened to pull me into the darkness. Struggles that I never thought I would get through. Struggles that I did ask why me! But then I realized that instead of saying why me, I should try to find the things I was thankful for. I started journaling. Part of that journal was to thank God for something each and every day. One day, when life was especially hard, I had trouble finding one single thing that I had to be thankful for. I started pouring out my heart to God in prayer. I took a deep breath of peace that only God can give. All of a sudden, I was able to fill that page with thanksgiving.
Philippians 4:6-7 reads “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Did you notice that word thanksgiving in the verse above? That word is used with the word anxious. The type of prayer that these verses are talking about are when we are stressed, worried, times when we ask God why me? This scripture is helping us to see that we still have things to be thankful for, even in the middle of the rough happenings of this world. When I have started remembering to be thankful in the middle of the storm and took it to God, I have felt that peace that only God can give. Who would have thought by being thankful in our pain, that God will give us peace, to help our hearts and minds to heal, breath and keep our hearts safe!
The book of the bible that I go to about praise and thankfulness, is Psalm. Most of these chapters were written by David. A lot of them were prayers during times of distress-times of fear-times he felt alone. But there are also so many chapters that he expresses his love and thankfulness for God in the middle of his pain. Some of those chapters are: Psalm 92, Psalm 100 & Psalm 107. Some of the verses are: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High…” “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!” “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness. And for His wonderful works to the children of men.” “Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.” And the last words of Psalm, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”
Pull the song up that I mentioned above. It is a happy song. It lists several things the writer is thankful for. Today if you are feeling down. If you are feeling that the world is against you. If you are feeling all alone. Remember to be thankful. Sit down and write down how many things you can list. Before you know it, you will be feeling better and you will remember that this, here and now, is not what is important. Yes, it is important while you are here to follow God and do his commandments. But the true thing for us to be thankful for, is that we are promised a home with Him one day when we leave this life here on earth. On the days that I get up and hurt all over, because of fibromyalgia, I try to remember that this is not my home. God is waiting for us, where we will have no pain, no sorrow, no stress, no loneliness, no fear!
After you read this blog, stop, bow your head or raise it up, and pray a prayer of thanksgiving. Sit down and make a list of what you are thankful for in your life. Before you know it, you will have filled that notebook up!
Remember, to say several times a day, THANK YOU LORD!
Till next time!
Keela