Psalm 50:15
Despite the ups and
downs that you may face or encounter; the words which come from your lips
should be words of thanksgiving unto the Lord… The devotion calls for us to
remember that things can always be worse; when facing storms in your life, you
must get to the point where you are able to smile because of the ability that
you have to feel the rain… There are so many people who would love to go
through the things which you are going through; however, the path which they
are traveling calls for a different storm for them to face… I make this point
because we all encounter storms, there is no life paved from the womb to the
gates of heaven which will not subject you to storms during your travel… This
is why you have to be thankful; you can thank God in the midst of your storms
because you know that you will come out of them and the water which has fallen
will simply provide the nutrients needed for the seed which God planted in you
to sprout… There is a purpose to the trials you face and this is why the writer
goes on to say, pay thy vows unto the
most High… Don’t hold back
because of the things you face; as a matter of fact, give even more when the
trials become that much more intense… There are people learning from your walk
of faith and you too will be exalted because God will definitely show His
faithfulness when you adhere to His calling despite the obstacles which are
before you… Make no mistake about it, I will deliver thee; says the Lord… You will exalt His name; in other words, you will
look back on all that you dealt with in the past and offer up thanksgiving unto
the Lord when you see the end result of your perseverance and endurance… You
will thank Him because the things which you suffered won’t compare to the
blessings you receive… I believe Paul said it best in his letter to the Church
of Rome, “For I consider that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory
that is to be revealed to us.” Paul
new that the latter would be better than the former; this is why we give God
thanksgiving… He is about to bestow blessings upon you that you don’t deserve
and there is nothing you can endure on this earth to deserve them… This message
also speaks to the fact that when we pray to God, we must go to Him with
thanksgiving instead of complaints… When we look to God, we often approach His throne in a backwards
manner… We call upon the name of the Lord when we are in despair or in dire
need of His help; however, we are reminded by the psalmist today that we are to “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows
unto the most High…” Let us approach the
thrown of God for the things that He has already done, giving Him thanks and
praising His name for His goodness, His mercy and His grace… Don’t’ lose sight
of the fact that God has kept you and allowed you to see this day, don’t lose
sight of the fact that without Him you are nothing and wouldn’t even be here
today… Some of us have gotten into the habit (I’m speaking about myself) of
making vows to God and not following through and then expecting Him to answer
when we pray because we have fallen short… Pay thy vows to the most High, give
all that you have unto the Lord and He will give all that He has unto you
(which far outweighs what you have to offer Him)… When you are in the midst of
confusion CALL ON HIM, when your body is racked with pain CALL ON HIM, when your children are going astray CALL ON HIM, when your in the middle of a storm and don’t
know how to handle it CALL ON HIM… However, don’t forget when He delivers on your
prayer; don’t forget when He makes a way out of no way… Give Him praise for His
goodness, give Him praise for His mercy, and give Him praise for answering your
prayers… He is your answer to every situation; He is your door to eternal life
and freedom from worries, troubles, and pain. Just call on the name of Jesus
for your answer. But, remember that when He answers your prayers, that you give
Him ALL the Glory and Honor…Take a moment or a second to analyze your
life… Think not of the bad things, but the good things that have come about in
your life… Look at the people around you right now; there is always someone who
would love to be in your shoes… The bible tells us that we are to do all things without murmurings and disputes, as a child of God we are called to remain
silent in our everyday situation, knowing and believing that God is working in
us and through us… In the time of trouble we have a (n) advocate in Christ
Jesus who is making intercessions on our behalf… God will be glorified, He will
receive honor, He will be praised… Knowing this lets me know that He won’t
allow me to suffer beyond measure, He won’t allow me to face obstacles I can’t
overcome, and He won’t’ allow me to be pushed beyond the edge of the cliff…
This and only this is the reason why we praise Him, if the devil had his way,
we would all perish and be cast into hell right now, but because of God’s love
and mercy we are alive and daily receive new provisions from above… The bible
records that “…His mercies are new
every morning… Great is thy faithfulness...” Be thankful at all times, even when you are going through
misfortune, because you know the misfortune won’t last always… This in and of
itself is a blessing; one that we indeed should praise and honor God for…
BE BLESSED!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment