Thank you, God

A prayer~
Good Morning, Father.

It is the day before Thanksgiving, and I should like to get out of the maelstrom of activity in and around me, and say ‘thank you.’ Oh, God, how easy, how normal it is to concern myself more with what is around me, than a ready awareness of your greatness. As I open the psalms, David’s words elevate my thinking: "The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength"1

Teach me how to rightly praise you and thank you, Lord. Oh yes, I remember now—I shall pray your word back to you! "I shall Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic!"2 I want to make these words my own-- "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. . . You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."3

I am reminded of the song I played at my downtown prayer meeting yesterday:"Magnificent Holy Father, I stand in awe of all I see~ Of all the things You have created. . . But still You choose to think of me"8. . . that You, O Lord should love me! " . . . the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him"4 ". .the earth is full of unfailing love"5. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."6

All of us must remember those words that Paul wrote when he said that nothing compares to the greatness, or 'priceless gain,' of knowing Christ Jesus. No matter what we could experience, gain, see, or know, nothing will ever even come close to the joy we have in a relationship with Jesus.7

Thank you, Lord, for your unfailing love. . .
for your word that penetrates into our hearts and minds. . .
for the cross. . . for the hope of Heaven and living with you forever.
Indeed, nothing compares to you. Amen

Ah. . . to remain in a vertical frame of mind~ Horizontally speaking, as I began setting my special Thanksgiving table yesterday, deciding what my centerpiece would look like, I realized just how different this year is, compared to last year. Last year, my son was in jail, (busted for not doing his community service when arrested for running from a policeman because he did not have a helmet on while riding a small motorcycle.) ‘A silly thing though indicative of a life out of control-- It landed him in jail, and because he had to be transported from Northern California to Southern California, and because it fell over a holiday, he was in custody for 12 days. So, Lord, thank you that he will be at our dining room table tomorrow.

I know that some of you are in a rough place right now, but I’d like to share something that has helped take some of the sting out of the storms in my life. Right while in the midst of the fiery storm, begin thinking what you will take from the experience—what you are learning, what you have gained, what God has shown you, and maybe how you will be able to ‘come alongside’ another at some point, because of this experience. You see, nothing is wasted if it is submitted to God to use; plus, when you actually thank God for some of the good that may result afterward, it lessons the pain. Gary Smalley calls it picking the pearls out of a sandstorm, and it has really helped change my perspective at times.

Thank you for life, and breath and strength. Thank you, Lord, for my new son-in-law, Eric. He loves You, Lord, and he loves my Amy. . . thank you! Thank you for my young sons, Dylan and Danny, and my husband, Dean. Thank you, Lord, for the honor in serving you, that you have entrusted me with taking your word to loved ones around the world. Thank you, Lord, for you are great, and you are good. Your mercies endure forever! Amen

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, Friends. I pray that you will bless the Lord and thank Him for his goodness, and that joy will fill your hearts.

The Lord bless you and keep you~
Christine

I will take a couple family days and send another Morning Briefing on Sunday night, the 30th.

1Psalm 93.1
2Psalm 29.2-4
3Revelation 4.8,11
4Psalm 32.10
5Psalm 33.5
6Romans 3.38-39
7Mac Powell, Third Day, about “Nothing Compares” – an amazing song
8Powell, song “Offering”