So much of our lives are lived looking for extraordinary happenings or things in life that we miss, or take for granted the ordinary blessings of each day. In Ephesians 5:20 and I Thessalonians 5:18 we are instructed to give thanks for all things. This tells me that Paul was teaching us to pay attention to the ordinary days we all have and to find the blessings of God in them. The ordinary things that we go through without thinking or that we think may be an annoyance or place a hiccup in our day.
Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Today, it is cold in Alabama, where I live. It was 24 at sunrise. These temperatures usually make me complain about the cold. When we lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it was frigid temperatures for months on end. I never got accustomed to these temps, nor did I like them. When we moved to Alabama, we rarely had extreme cold, so this change has brought lots of complaining from the locals. However, as I watched the sun come up, enjoyed my cup of coffee, and the warmth of my home, I began to feel a praise rising within me. I thanked God for the beautiful morning. The rising sun reminded me of the day when Jesus will burst open the sky to come for His saints. As I peered out across the lake, my soul began to rejoice as blessings from God flooded my thoughts. I remembered the verse in Philippians 4:6, where Paul again reminds us to be careful —meaning anxious for nothing —but to pray for our needs with thanksgiving. When we pray for our needs, if we are in a mode of thanksgiving, it changes our attitude to be more aware of the blessing we already have than focusing on what we don’t have. It causes us to rejoice as we look back and see God’s hand at work, taking care of our needs and desires. This allows us to face the day with confidence in Him. We do not have to keep thinking about what we need because we trust Him to meet those future needs just as He has met the past needs.
Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
I thank God today for the beautiful sunrise that lifts my thoughts upward. I thank Him for a warm home where I can be comfortable and enjoy His word. I thank Him for His word that I can read openly with fear of persecution. I thank Him for my family that loves Him and has surrendered their lives to Him. I thank Him for a church family that I can depend on, for friends that are family by the blood of Jesus. I thank Him for being able to read, to see, to hear, and to feel His presence in my life. These are ordinary things that I sometimes take for granted. These are tangible things that I experience every day as blessings in my life.
I also thank Him for the precious spiritual gifts in my life. The gift of salvation by the giving of His Son Jesus to pay the penalty for my sins. I thank Him for the miraculous indwelling of the Holy Spirit that happens the moment I accept Jesus as my Savior. God assures us of His presence and help often in the scriptures.
In Deuteronomy 31:6, we are instructed to be strong and courageous. We are not to fear because He is with us and He will not forsake us. Moses is 120 years old and senses the Israelites’ discouragement as they face battles on the road to the promised land. They, like us, were caught up in their circumstances rather than who they served.
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
Joshua, the one to replace Moses, receives the same encouragement from God. He assures him that just as He was with Moses, he would be with Him.
Joshua 1:5 “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
In Hebrews 13:5, the writer teaches us that He will never leave us or forsake us. The same is true for Matthew 28:20, when Jesus was about to leave earth to return to Heaven, He assured them that He would never leave them.
Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Matthew 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
These verses remind us of the ordinary blessing of His presence. It is not extraordinary because it is constant. We may think it is extraordinary, but it is only because we get so caught up in our own world that we forget the blessings that come every day, all day, 24/7. He NEVER leaves us!
Today, as you bask in His presence, remember what a blessing it is to know you are never alone. Do not take it for granted. When we do not live consciously of Him all the time, we are cheating ourselves of the greatest blessing we can ever experience.
Excellent. Thank you.