For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,and he is to be feared above all gods.
I CHRONICLES 16:25 ESV
Some days it’s easy to see God’s goodness and others it’s not. There are times when we can stay positive, find the good in the moment and trust His hand is at work. There are also days, or moments throughout your day, that are hard. And that’s ok.
The passage in 1 Chronicles speaks to the God who delivers and the goodness of God. It acknowledges God and returns praise to Him. We can assume there were some tough things going on if God had to deliver them. In the same way, we walk through the tough stuff and the great stuff with one common denominator. He’s in it all and we can thank Him and give Him praise in the middle of it.
Doing this alone, on my own, is valuable but the true beauty comes when we begin to share our gratitude in all things with others. When we cultivate a grateful heart and share with people around us, we give them permission to be grateful too!
Let God be glorified in our praises. Let others be edified and taught, that strangers to him may be led to adore him. Let us ourselves triumph and trust in God. Those that give glory to God’s name are allowed to glory in it. Let the everlasting covenant be the great matter of our joy his people of old, be remembered by us with thankfulness to him. Show forth from day to day his salvation, his promised salvation by Christ. We have reason to celebrate that from day to day; for we daily receive the benefit, and it is a subject that can never be exhausted. In the midst of praises, we must not forget to pray for the servants of God in distress. Bile Hub
REFLECT: Do you pause long enough to think about the highs and lows you’re experiencing on a daily basis? Do you let one overshadow the other? It’s easy to get discouraged by the lows and miss the highs or ignore the lows and never deal with the frustrations or disappointments. The best option is to acknowledge and deal with both the highs and lows with gratitude and a heart of surrender, willing to let God show up in both.
REFLECT: RESPOND: Grab your journal and start writing down your highs and lows. Introduce this idea to your family at meals or in the car when you have a captive audience or bedtime when you can intentionally connect. These types of conversations give us a glimpse into each other’s worlds and an opportunity to share and practice having a grateful heart together.
Daily Prayer: Lord, I thank You for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I thank You for being the source of peace that surpasses all understanding. I pray that You give me the strength to worship You in all circumstances. I pray that You give me the boldness to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus and to live a life that glorifies You in all that I experience here on earth. I pray these things in Jesus’s name. Amen.
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