Psalm 100:4-5

Originally written in 2004…

I’m thankful…

• That my kids can run and play (after a doctor’s appointment where I saw child after child with crippling disabilities)
• For my neighbors (after driving through miles of empty land and seeing a lonely house)
• For good food
• For a sweet husband (who made dinner one night when I was tired)
• For the stars — I LOVE to look at them!
• For kids who obeyed when it was hard
• For all the silly things they do to make me laugh
• That the Lord doesn’t “put me on hold” or make me wait to talk to Him, that I can always come into His presence boldly

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.” (Ps. 100:4-5, NKJV)

Just meditating on His goodness, determining to praise Him no matter how difficult it is and blessing Him for His goodness and mercy — these spiritual disciplines keep us centered on Christ when “hurricane winds” swirl around us and threaten to knock us off our feet.

But thankfulness is a choice. We can choose to come before Him with grumbling and complaining. We can murmur and even curse God when life is tough. However, this evil decision doesn’t change the FACT that God IS good. He IS merciful, and He will continue to be merciful forever. He will remain truthful, both to us and to our children and their children, for all time.

My husband noted yesterday that we study God’s Word daily, when life is calm, so that when life gets crazy and we are sometimes not ABLE to do much more than read a verse, God’s Word will be stored up in our hearts and keep us thankful and focused on God. If we wait until the hurricane hits before we take precautionary measures, it will be too late. Our hearts can be swept away. We must be prepared.

So, friends, read your Bibles! Learn to be thankful, even on boring days. Don’t wait for a holiday. Practice the daily discipline of lifting your heart in praise to God, whether you feel like it or not. Life’s little annoyances are good practice for the day when the hurricane hits (and it WILL hit sometime).

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.