I will praise the Lord with a song. I will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. When the humble see it they will be glad. You who seek God, let your hearts revive. For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise His own people who are prisoners.
Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them. (Verses30-34)
My good friend, Deb, said something I will never forget. "If I didn't believe in God, who would I thank for all the great things that happen in my life?" She and I would miss the joy of extending our personal gratitude to our genuinely benevolent Father. Never mind the world blames Him for all its ills. What about all the inexplicable beauty and abundance of the universe? My grandson, Alex, at Christmas is, to me, the epitome of what our gratefulness to the Father should look like.
Last year Alexander was five years old. His Christmas list was exact. Not much expensive to purchase, but he knew what he wanted. I doubt he was expecting all of it. In fact, I would venture to say that by the time Christmas morning arrived he'd forgotten much of what he'd requested a month or so before. He and his brother, Nicholas, trade off being Santa and passing out gifts on the Christmases we get to have them with us. Each boy is really good about making sure the gifts are evenly distributed. Not grabbing at what is theirs, but waiting a turn to open gifts to them. But here is what we all had to love about our Alexander. Each time he tore the carefully wrapped paper off a gift as if it were the only one he'd ever received, threw the ribbon across the room and finally glimpsed what might be in the box, he just shouted and danced and thanked and thanked and thanked whoever gave him such an amazing present. The gift, like a trophy, was held up for all to see and rejoice in with Alexander. That boy knows how to make Santa smile.
Answered prayer is like that. Unwrapping perhaps something we forgot we asked for, even. I got an incredible answered prayer this week that concerns my writing. A rare gift that I am humbled by more than I can say. It set my feet to dancing and made my heart sing! I hope my God knows I feel like Alexander at Christmas. I know my joy makes Him smile. I'm confident my joy was on His mind when He answered the prayer...my blessedness and His glory. Thankfulness is a reflection of His character. It is an acknowledgment that I am heard by a powerful God who is attentive to my call. Like Alexander's, my expressed gratitude is my way of telling my Father He is wonderful for caring. That I just am amazed I got what I wanted when I unwrapped the thing my Father had hidden behind His back to surprise me with. It's not hard to see why the Lord would rather have us jumping and skipping and praising Him more than He wants a somber sacrifice.
Every mother and father wants to hear they are doing well with their kids. My children tell me I'm the best mother in the whole world on a regular basis. I know that's not true, but I love hearing it. It means they know I'm trying to be the best. But my heavenly Father is the hallmark of parenthood. And I know He loves to hear us tell Him what a great Father He is. We let Him know we know that He's amazing as we dance around, shouting out in incredulity that He heard what we asked for and gave it to us. The gift of answered prayer also builds the faith of those around us. Revives their trust in Christ. Allows them to persevere in hope. Points us all to the fact that Jahweh is sovereign over everything in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and He will use what is in His power to rescue the needy and those of His who are trapped by the enemy. Our God brings us gifts no one else could purchase. Finds a way where this is no way. And in giving Himself for us has shown that nothing is impossible for those who believe.
Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it. Shout, O depths of the earth. Break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest and every tree in it! Isaiah 44
Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them. (Verses30-34)
My good friend, Deb, said something I will never forget. "If I didn't believe in God, who would I thank for all the great things that happen in my life?" She and I would miss the joy of extending our personal gratitude to our genuinely benevolent Father. Never mind the world blames Him for all its ills. What about all the inexplicable beauty and abundance of the universe? My grandson, Alex, at Christmas is, to me, the epitome of what our gratefulness to the Father should look like.
Last year Alexander was five years old. His Christmas list was exact. Not much expensive to purchase, but he knew what he wanted. I doubt he was expecting all of it. In fact, I would venture to say that by the time Christmas morning arrived he'd forgotten much of what he'd requested a month or so before. He and his brother, Nicholas, trade off being Santa and passing out gifts on the Christmases we get to have them with us. Each boy is really good about making sure the gifts are evenly distributed. Not grabbing at what is theirs, but waiting a turn to open gifts to them. But here is what we all had to love about our Alexander. Each time he tore the carefully wrapped paper off a gift as if it were the only one he'd ever received, threw the ribbon across the room and finally glimpsed what might be in the box, he just shouted and danced and thanked and thanked and thanked whoever gave him such an amazing present. The gift, like a trophy, was held up for all to see and rejoice in with Alexander. That boy knows how to make Santa smile.
Answered prayer is like that. Unwrapping perhaps something we forgot we asked for, even. I got an incredible answered prayer this week that concerns my writing. A rare gift that I am humbled by more than I can say. It set my feet to dancing and made my heart sing! I hope my God knows I feel like Alexander at Christmas. I know my joy makes Him smile. I'm confident my joy was on His mind when He answered the prayer...my blessedness and His glory. Thankfulness is a reflection of His character. It is an acknowledgment that I am heard by a powerful God who is attentive to my call. Like Alexander's, my expressed gratitude is my way of telling my Father He is wonderful for caring. That I just am amazed I got what I wanted when I unwrapped the thing my Father had hidden behind His back to surprise me with. It's not hard to see why the Lord would rather have us jumping and skipping and praising Him more than He wants a somber sacrifice.
Every mother and father wants to hear they are doing well with their kids. My children tell me I'm the best mother in the whole world on a regular basis. I know that's not true, but I love hearing it. It means they know I'm trying to be the best. But my heavenly Father is the hallmark of parenthood. And I know He loves to hear us tell Him what a great Father He is. We let Him know we know that He's amazing as we dance around, shouting out in incredulity that He heard what we asked for and gave it to us. The gift of answered prayer also builds the faith of those around us. Revives their trust in Christ. Allows them to persevere in hope. Points us all to the fact that Jahweh is sovereign over everything in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and He will use what is in His power to rescue the needy and those of His who are trapped by the enemy. Our God brings us gifts no one else could purchase. Finds a way where this is no way. And in giving Himself for us has shown that nothing is impossible for those who believe.
Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it. Shout, O depths of the earth. Break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest and every tree in it! Isaiah 44
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