Psalm 100:4 & 5
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!
5 For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.
This week, while handling a septic problem and other challenges, I learned that two dear friends had passed away. The void left by their absence really saddened me and I felt their loss deeply.
Exhausted, I was tempted to start complaining. Have you ever said to God “I just can’t do this anymore?” I heard Him say “Have you thanked Me today for blessings I have given you? Even the friendships I have sent you?”
I remembered the old Hymn “Count your Blessings” written by Johnson Oatman, Jr. in 1897
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
We need to be reminded that Thanksgiving and Praise are weapons of warfare. When we start thanking the Lord and praising him, anxiety and fear become a waste of time.
Remembering the blessings one by one He has given you throughout the years, will make the darkness turn to light very quickly.
His Power starts filling your soul and you will wonder why you were feeling hopeless and lost in the first place. When Jesus is your Source He will give you the power to overcome anything that is coming against you. Each blessing remembered will have your heart soaring and you will feel His Power enveloping you.
I will miss my friends. Jesus knowing that died on the cross and took our sins so that, when we believe and receive Him as our Lord and Savior, we can spend eternity with Him. I know I will see my friends and family again. Oh, what a Savior to have thought of everything, even that.
Why should we worry, even for a moment, when He is in control? Hallelujah!
