Thankful, Day Fifty-Six

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

So here I am, a little over two months into this wonderful project of giving thanks, and I'm starting through the 100th Psalm for the third time. Just after Thanksgiving, a friend of mine suggested this exercise: Read through Psalm 100 every day for 100 days, following its structure and journaling each day on three things we were thankful for. I took him up on his suggestion, and what a time I've had!

I've had several direct answers to prayer during this time. My own personal attitude and outlook on life has taken a serious turn for the positive. I've even experienced some long anticipated victory in my life. And God has been blessing me beyond my fervent requests and wildest dreams.

So I suppose I could say, with no small amount of experience, that being thankful to God is beneficial. I'm not going to say that my continual giving of thanks manipulated God into giving me stuff I asked for, but I will say that my continual giving of thanks has made me more aware of what God is doing on a daily basis in my life, and it is also preparing me for the good things He's going to do, if I will just keep on praying, and thanking Him for all that He has done and all that He is going to do.

Thank you God for showing up at church with us today. You honored your word as we gathered to honor you. You sat down in the praises of your people. You were with us as we fellowshiped together. You spoke to us through your word and ministered through your Spirit. I'm so thankful that we serve a real, living, and powerful God.

Thank you God for the saints in my care, who also care for me. When they prayed for me today, I know they had a heart for my need. They will help me with this burden, and stand by me as we pray for the conclusion of this matter. I'm so thankful that when we bear one another's burdens, they are willing to help me bear mine!

Thank you God for friends and fellowship, and for those who want to take time out of their lives to spend some time with me. I'm so thankful for the people you have placed in my life to love me, and the people you have placed in my life for me to love.