Praise the Lord, my soul;all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul,and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sinsand heals all your diseases,
And you’re thinking, “No. That’s not right. I’ve got stuff I have to do today. I had to get up.”
That’s not what I mean. What I mean is, you didn’t have to wake up this morning.
When you went to bed last night, there was no guarantee that you would have today.
But God has seen fit to give you this good day.
Some of you stopped right there, when I called it a “good day.”
And your mind went to all of your “have to’s.” Or to all the hard stuff that you’re dealing with. Or to health problems. Or financial problems. Or how much something sucks. Or how much someone sucks. Or a thousand other reasons why it’s not a “good day.”
I know this, because I do it too. And God is aware that you and I do this.
Nonetheless, God has seen fit to give you this good day.
No matter what you and I are facing. No matter why we think it’s not. It is a good day.
How can I say that? It comes back to what Paul is saying in today’s first reading – “Not that of ourselves we are qualified to take credit for anything as coming from us.”
When you and I take the day that God has given us. When we box it in, and fill it up, with all of our thousand reasons why it’s not a good day? We are taking credit for the day, as if it came from us.
We are assuming control over something that we did not make, something we were never guaranteed to receive. Something – that Paul reminds us – we are completely unqualified to do. Because it didn’t come from us.
Nonetheless, God has seen fit to give you this good day.
There is a better way for you and me to approach the day. Instead of boxing it in, and filling it up, with all of our thousand reasons why it’s not a good day? Instead of taking credit for something we had no control over?
Instead, see it for what it is – a gift. And say thank you, to the One who gave you this good day.
Saying “thank you” to God isn’t just a formality. And it isn’t about God being petty, ready to pay us back if we don’t say thank you.
God wants us to say thank you to Him for this good day because of what gratitude does for us.
Gratitude changes how we understand the day we’ve been given. And how we live it.
I’m not talking about gratitude as a one-time thing, but as an all-during-the-day thing.
Because if we’re living this day in gratitude, thanking God that we even get to have this day, we’re going to live today a lot differently than if we’re stuck on any one of a thousand reasons why it’s not a good day.
Not that all of our problems will magically disappear when we say thank you. Or everything will become easy if we live in gratitude.
It’s just the simple fact that nothing can get between us and God – nothing can cut us off from our source of peace and strength, our source of joy and patience – when we treat today like the gift that it is.
Because gratitude calls us out of ourselves. And points our hearts toward the Giver.
This is why, when we live the day that God has given us in gratitude, it will be a good day.
“But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment. And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble; And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” —Psalm 9:7-10
“Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands.” —Psalm 119:90
“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” —Jeremiah 29:11
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” —Romans 8:28
“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” —Hebrews 4:15
“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” —Isaiah 41:10
“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” —Psalm 46:1
“Our Father in heaven always keeps His promises and never leaves us alone.”
“As far as children can tell, their mom and dad know everything and can do anything. And kids typically don’t question that assumption without reason (for example, if they see a parent mishandle a situation or someone else influences their level of trust). Parents demonstrate reliability by consistently providing shelter, food, and safety—and also by lovingly teaching, comforting, and guiding their sons and daughters. Then the children can sleep in peace, knowing their needs will be met.
Likewise, we know that we can trust our heavenly Father because He has shown Himself trustworthy from the beginning of time. Psalm 119:90 says, “[God’s] faithfulness continues throughout generations.” He has never broken a promise, and His plans for us have always been for our good (Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28). What’s more, God understands our weaknesses and never asks us to do anything that He won’t help us accomplish (Hebrews 4:15; Isaiah 41:10). We can trust that even in the worst situations, He will be with us (Psalm 46:1).
What does trusting God look like in your life this week? Where can you relinquish control to Him?”
[All Bible verses are in the NASB1995 Translation.]
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