"Therefore I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name."
2 Samuel 22:50
Last night, I had a moment. I'm sure you have had them before, but being of the female kind, my moments usually lead to emotional fits of happy tears. It was around dusk and I was sitting on the back deck with Aidan, my 7 year old nephew, sitting on my lap and my husband standing at the grill making some delicious pork chops for dinner. Normally, we would be caught up in some back and forth banter about our day and more concerned with what we were saying than taking a second to experience the moment. However, last night was a bit different. Silence hit us just for a moment and as I was watching the two of them doing what they were doing, a happy tear welled up in my eye and made its trail down my face. In that moment, just watching the two of them, my heart felt so full and so thankful. A year ago, I would never have imagined that I would be where I am today...married to an amazing man, taking care of a very special little boy who has stolen my heart, and with a house of our own in some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen. God is so good.
Each morning, I read a daily devotion from Joni Eareckson Tada's A Spectacle of Glory. Interesting enough, this morning's devotion was about Jesus healing the 10 lepers found in Luke 17:11-19. In this story, ten men with leprosy saw Jesus going into a village and they called out to Him and asked Him to heal them. He healed them, but only one of them returned to Him to thank Him for what He had done. Jesus said to Him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:19)
So often we are desperate to seek God's help when we are in need, but do we go back to thank Him with as much desperation after He has answered those prayers? When I ask myself that, I would definitely have to say not always. Even today God works miracles in our lives, but why? Yes, we could say that He does it because He loves us. But I think there is more to it than that. Our purpose in this world is to bring Him glory. How then do we bring Him glory if we don't openly praise Him for the miraculous works He has done in our own lives so that others may believe?
I read something on Facebook yesterday that said, "I believe in God, not because my parents told me, not because my church told me, but because I have experienced His goodness and mercy myself." I believe God has shown His goodness and mercy to everyone in some way or the other, but not everyone has experienced it. To experience something you have to encounter it with an open heart and be observant enough to attempt to understand what is happening. God works in our lives and through us to reach out to those who may not have such open, observant hearts. Just maybe, by hearing our praise of what God has done in our lives, that mustard seed of faith may be planted in the heart of an unbeliever, which God will grow within them.
"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him." 2 Samuel 22:31
God's way really is perfect. He has a plan for each moment in our lives. It may take a while for us to understand or we may never fully understand what His purpose is for a particular event or person in our lives, but we can still praise Him and thank Him because we know that He is good and He loves us. There is nothing He wouldn't do for us, even sending His Son to the world to die so that we may live eternally with Him in heaven. If we can't think of anything else to be thankful for, we can always thank him for that.
My challenge for myself and for you today is this. Take a moment today to look around you and make a list of all the things or people that God has placed in your life to bless you. Let us know of something God has blessed you with in the comments below. Spend some time with God, thanking Him for each of these things and praising Him for who He is. Then, reflect on ways you can share what God has done in your life with someone else. Be sure to do this with the intention of glorifying Him rather than of boasting. Remember, our purpose is to glorify Him in all that we do, think, and say.
Father God, thank you. Thank you for creating me the way that you did and with the purpose of bringing you glory. Father, help me to take notice of the things and people you have blessed my life with, so that I may come to you with praise and a thankful heart. Help me to see those people in need of hearing what You have done, so that you may use me to plant that mustard seed of faith. You are so powerful yet loving, God. I am in awe of what You do in my life every day. Amen.
*In need of prayer today? I would be happy to pray for you or someone you know! Just leave a comment below or send me a private message using the form on the "Contact Me" page. Also, check out the new "Prayer Concerns" page and join me in praying for those on our list.
Find the joy in Christ's truth, today.
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