God has done amazing things in my life and in the lives of my family and friends. I’ve been able to witness how He’s changed people. I’ve seen things happen that have no explanation without Him. I’ve experienced those little “coincidences” of life too often for them to have been coincidental. He has done so much for me and for the people I love, how can I ever doubt that He has our best interests in mind? How can I ever express adequately enough to Him how great He is?
Honey bee in the red bud tree – Safe Haven Farm, Haven, KS
Today’s verses are Psalm 106:1-2.
Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?
Who can ever praise him enough?
Actually, all of Psalm 106 is pretty awesome. It’s something of a memorial to the awesome things God did for the people of Israel. No matter how many times they turned their backs on Him, He never stopped loving them and never stopped taking care of them. Why? Because they were a perfect people? Or because they were always right? No. God never stopped loving the people of Israel and never abandoned them because He promised that He wouldn’t.
Verse 8 says, “Even so, he saved them—to defend the honor of his name and to demonstrate his mighty power.”
God had made a promise to be their God and to take care of them. And He honored that promise no matter what the people of Israel did. Granted, taking care of them didn’t always look like they thought it should, but God always worked their circumstances together for the best.
And He is the same God who wants to take care of us today, whether we are Jewish or not.
I posted last week about how we need to remember the things that God has done for us. But the point of that post was to never forget because that will help us remember that God can do anything. And if He could bring us this far, He can bring us the rest of the way. But there is another reason to never forget the things that God has done for us: we need to remember so we can worship Him and thank Him.
I am the most ungrateful person in the world. I get so busy, so wrapped up in my own little world, that I forget to thank Him. And even the times when I remember to thank Him, it’s usually just in passing. Or it’s just me working down a list, checking off items to do. It’s less intimate and more automatic. And that’s not how you show real gratitude. And by that same token, if I can’t thank Him for real, how can I hope to worship Him for real?
Every one of us has a story, and God is at work in that story. He has done things in all our lives, whether we recognize it or not. And if you belong to Him, He has promised to never abandon you no matter how far you might fall away from Him–not because you are a good person but because that’s what He promised. And because He loves you. But even if He didn’t love us the way He does, even if He hadn’t done half the things He has done for us, He would still deserve praise because of all He’s given us. But He has gone so over and above anything we actually needed and has given us so many of the things we want, like the Psalmist asked, how can we ever praise Him enough?
Everything good in my life has come from God. The only reason my talent and my abilities have been able to make a difference or provide a career for me is because I first started using them for Him. My family is strong and in one piece because of God. I am healthy and still alive because of God. There is nothing I have that He didn’t give me, and there is nothing He has given me that I deserve. I want to recognize that every day, that God didn’t have to do all these amazing things in my life, but He has because He loves me and because He’s keeping His promises to me.
I want to give Him all the credit because He deserves it. He doesn’t need it. Worship and praise and credit isn’t something that He needs, but it helps me to remember where I stand. And I stand because of Him.
If you’re feeling sad or discouraged today, make a list of all the things God has done for you. And then praise Him for all He’s done in your life. It will get your perspective straight.
Always Peachy 