“But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:23).
It is customary in most cultures, or for many individuals, that if someone does for you a good thing, you return the favor by thanking him. They call it good breeding. The thanking might take various forms: it could be a fresh word of acknowledgement, or, it might come in form of gifts.
Now, a good question, one might ask, what if the one who has done for you a good thing is the Almighty God; do you just walk away, taking his gifts as if for granted! Perhaps you might reason what much can you give back to God which He is lacking! Of course there is nothing. But although God’s provisions for us are not based on condition, what do you lose thanking Him, every now and then, in fact, more as a lifestyle!
Psalm 56:12 says, “I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you”! Thanking God features in many places in the Bible. Psalm 116:17 says, “I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD. Psalm 7:17 says, “I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.” Psalm 66:13 goes on, “I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings; I shall pay You my vows.”
There is always a lot thank you: from the year of a pandemic, there is that one case or another, where we can see God certainly came to our rescue or just blessed us more than we could have anticipated. There was that miracle we saw, and we know it was of God!
So, today, pause to thank God. For to fail to do so, is not just bad manners; but it might rob you of yet more blessings. As Jeremiah 33:11 says, “the sounds of joy and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will be heard again, along with the joyous songs of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the LORD. They will sing, ‘Give thanks to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, for the LORD is good. His faithful love endures forever!’ For I will restore the prosperity of this land to what it was in the past, says the LORD”
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, creator of heaven and earth, you have been so good to me, delivered me countless times, blessed me more than I can behold; so today I come to you with thanksgiving, for the shower of your blessings upon me, this I pray in Jesus’s name.
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17/05/2024 - 18/05/2024 All day“And I in righteousness I shall see your face; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness” (Psalm 17:15)
One of the defining aspects we see in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ is that He began the day with prayer. “Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). As he was always surrounded by crowds and after such a busy day before of preaching and engaging the Pharisees in debates this must have been a therapeutic moment for Christ when he would have some good time to himself.
But there was also more. For Jesus being away in a secluded place would also mean a chance to pour out His heart to God, meditate in quietness, plan for the day ahead and listen to the Father. Jesus must have looked up to this moment every day knowing its benefits. Conversations with His Father must have been real and intimate, bringing a certain soothing and uplifting of His spirit. You do not wake up and stick to something on a daily basis that is a drag – this must have been his best time of the day!
Martin Luther the leader of the protestant reformation is reputed to once have said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Here is the point. In the olden days before the arrival of locomotive transport those who were setting out for a long journey on foot had to start early with the first cock crow before the punishing sun came out. One of the things they had to start with also was a good meal, which was fuel needed to give them energy through the long walk to their destiny.
There are no rules about waking up to pray as first thing- or even saying prayer at a defined hour of the day. God is everywhere and ever with us. He is accessible at any time of the day. But there is something special about prioritizing our lives that the first thing we do is to talk to God. Just like the early traveller we need fuel, for the long day ahead!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a joy and privilege to make time at the start of any day, talk and hear from you, for the power I need through the day, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
