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Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:34 (NIV))When I saw the email, I braced myself. For nearly a year, I’d sent sample chapters to different publishers, praying that one of them would give me a contract for my novel. But so far I’d gotten only rejections — dozens of them — and this email proved to be another one.
A few days later, the publisher of an inspirational anthology accepted an essay I’d written, but I didn’t enjoy the good news. When a friend congratulated me, my response was to complain that the novel had not been accepted. I later realized how ungrateful I was being. I was focusing on what I didn’t have, rather than on God’s blessings. Paul tells us, “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:20, CEB). God had answered my prayer — just not in the way I’d hoped. My essay would be read by the hundreds of subscribers of the anthology. For that I am thankful.
Sometimes we can become so focused on one particular disappointment that we don’t see the many blessings we receive every day. By being grateful for God’s blessings even in the face of a disappointment, we are able to invite peace and joy into our lives and open our hearts to the many more blessings God has in store for us.
TODAY'S PRAYER: Dear God, give us grateful hearts so we may appreciate the work that you do in our lives. Amen.
TODAY'S READING: 1 Chronicles 16:34-36
1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the LORD because he is good, because his faithful love endures forever. 35 Say: “Save us, God, our savior! Gather us! Deliver us from among the nations so we can give thanks to your holy name and rejoice in your praise.” 36 Bless the LORD, Israel’s God, from forever in the past to forever always. And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD! (Common English Bible).
1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to Adonai; for he is good,
for his grace continues forever.
35 Say: “Save us, God who can save us!
Gather and rescue us from the nations;
so that we can thank your holy name
and glory in praising you.
36 Blessed be Adonai, the God of Isra’el,
from eternity past to eternity future!”All the people said, “Amen!” and praised Adonai. (Complete Jewish Bible).
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY; Being grateful helps me to recognize God’s blessings.
PRAYER FOCUS: Those receiving disappointing news
READ MORE: More From Lisa Braxton
More From Lisa Braxton
NOVEMBER 22, 2018 BY LISA BRAXTON (MASSACHUSETTS)
RELATED DEVOTIONALS: REJOICE IN EVERY BLESSING
It was the second day of the retreat. The night before, we’d sung praise songs and listened to a keynote speaker who gave her personal testimony of how her faith got her through her darkest time — the death of her daughter, who left behind a husband and three young children. That morning we’d watched the church praise and worship team perform a skit through interpretive movement, offering a powerful message.
Now it was our turn to take what appeared to be random items and create something spiritually meaningful. We were instructed to jot down our worries, fears, and anxieties in and on our clay pots using a permanent marker. The next step involved slipping the pots into the gallon-size plastic bags, sealing them, and laying the bags on the floor. Then we spent time in prayer, turning all of the concerns we’d noted on our clay pots over to God and asking for healing. On the signal of our activity leader, we raised our mallets high above our heads and brought them down hard against the bags, smashing away at our concerns.
To an outside observer it may have appeared that we were a group of overgrown children trying to recapture a time when we made mosaic artwork in our elementary school classrooms. What we were actually doing was working on strengthening our relationship with the Lord. Many of the women told me the exercise was cathartic. I felt the same way. In fact, I didn’t think about my worries for the rest of the retreat.
About 10 days later I was in Nice, France, following a business trip that brought me to Paris. After leaving a restaurant, I was walking past a plaza and came to a dead stop, stunned by what was in front of me — the largest clay pot I’d ever seen. It was well over 5 feet in height, and nearly as tall as me. It had a tree growing out of it. I knew it was there for aesthetic reasons — to accent the festive mood of the restaurants and live entertainment nearby — but it served an entirely different purpose for me. It reminded me of the intent of the clay pot activity, to remind us that no problem is too big for God and that we should cast our burdens onto God (Psalms 55:22, NRSV). Through God’s love, we can feel at peace.
“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NSRV).
You can read more from Lisa on her personal blog: https://lisabraxton.com/blog/
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