Thankful Thursday

 

 

I've been seeing God answer specific prayers a lot lately

 

This morning was another example of that

 

I had a project at work that I was a bit nervous about

 

It wasn't something I hadn't done before, but it was one that I knew could present some challenges

 

As I was driving to work, I was talking with God, and expressed some of my uneasiness to Him.  It wasn't like He didn't already know how I felt!

 

I asked Him to give me wisdom in tackling the project, to allow it to go smoothly and not take a lot of time.

 

When I got to the job site, I realized I wasn't going to be able to do this project by myself

 

So I made a phone call, and shortly, help was on the way

 

With another set of hands, it went very smoothly, and was done efficiently and quickly

 

Once again, God came through!  He sent me just the right person to help me think through the process and get it wrapped up

 

I'm very thankful God keeps His word

 

He tells us to ask and it will be given to us; to seek and we will find what we are looking for, and to knock on doors which will open for us

 

And as I did that this morning, I had confidence that He would respond

 

I'm thankful for the confidence I have in my Father

 

thankful that He always has been and always will be faithful

 

I'm thankful He has adopted me into His family, made me His son and promised an inheritance of spending eternity in His presence

 

I'm thankful for my kids; the relationship I have with them, the connections we are able to have because of technology, the things I see God doing in their lives.

 

And oh, by the way, my son's truck has been running very well for him.  He's in Louisiana, and will finish his trip back to Texas tomorrow.  Thanks again God, for your provision!

 

Tomorrow, we head for upstate NY to visit with family for the weekend

 

I'm thankful for the flexibility in my schedule with my new job to be able to take an extra day off to make this trip.  Just another example of God's generosity in providing for our needs

 

I have seen God's hand, heard His voice, and can testify that He is good--all the time

 



Thankful Thursday

 

 

My God is trustworthy

 

He is the creator of the universe

 

He knows each star by name

 

He has established order and placement of stars, galaxies, and solar systems

 

And God holds all of this in the palm of His hands!

 

He is a big God

 

and that's a severe understatement

 

At times I can begin to wonder if my miniscule presence in the midst of this enormous creation even catches His attention

 

I have a feeling of insignificance at times

 

But...

 

I love that word

 

it indicates a shift; a change in direction

 

and when you add a name after it

 

suddenly it gains importance

 

But God...

 

I'm so thankful for that short phrase found in Eph. 2

 

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He love us..."

 

who did He love?

 

God loves me, and you, and all of the yous who have ever lived

 

and because of that love He sent Jesus, His beloved and perfect Son, to offer us grace

 

this same Jesus now sits next to God the Father, praying for me!

 

Oh how thankful I am for those prayers

 

Last week I told you about my little detour

 

during that drive, I had a conversation with God

 

I knew He knew about my son's need of a truck

 

I also believed that God had a truck for Adam, and He wanted us to ask Him to provide that truck and trust Him to do it

 

so I asked

 

I invited God to show off and reveal His glory by providing a truck for Adam

 

I wanted my son to see God move

 

I wanted his faith to be strengthened and encouraged

 

I won't go into all the details, but let me just go on record to say that God answered that invitation

 

Adam was given a truck, which he picked up today

 

And my faith was once again bolstered

 

I'm thankful God hears when I call

 

I'm thankful He knows me completely

 

I'm grateful He cares about every little detail

 

Scripture says He even has every hair on my head counted!

 

so when I start to get discouraged and feeling insignificant

 

I go back to that little phrase with a big meaning

 

But God...

 

I'm thankful He has redeemed me

 

and adopted me into His family

 

I'm eternally grateful my name is written in the Lamb's book of life

 

I have an inheritance that won't pass away

 

I can say along with the psalmist,

 

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You have ordained; what is man, that You take thought of him?  And the son of man, that You care for him?"

 

I'm so thankful He cares

 

And grateful He demonstrates that caring in tangible ways that I can see



going through Samaria: Thankful Thursday

going through Samaria: Thankful Thursday:     Today was a day for adventure and detours   My son enjoyed the adventure; well, enjoyed might be a bit of a stretch   He pu...

Thankful Thursday

 

 

Today was a day for adventure and detours

 

My son enjoyed the adventure; well, enjoyed might be a bit of a stretch

 

He purchased a truck in Massachusetts this morning with the intention of driving it back to Lancaster, PA

 

I talked to him around 2:00 to see how his trip was going.  He told me things were interesting.  He was having some complications with the clutch and the power steering.

 

Then about an hour later, he called me back to tell me that he was sitting alongside the road.  The radiator fan had blown apart...

 

I'm thankful for an understanding employer

 

I was able to leave my jobsite and drive to Newburgh, NY to pick him up. 

 

It wasn't the way I had anticipated ending my day, but I am grateful for the time we had together as we traveled home.

 

I'm thankful he was able to get off the highway without any incidents, and thankful he knew he could call me when he was in need of help.

 

I'm very thankful I have that same confidence in my relationship with my heavenly Father

 

He invites me to cast my cares on Him, because He cares for me

 

He promises that when I call on Him He will respond

 

He encourages me to drop my burdens at His feet when I'm weighed down with the stresses of this life, and lean into Him for learning and growth

 

He is faithful

 

He is gracious and merciful

 

He is kind and gentle

 

He knows me completely

 

and holds me securely 

Thankful Thursday

 

 

time in the word

 

early morning prayer with my wife

 

clean water

 

a safe vehicle to drive

 

talking with my Father on the drive to work

 

sunrise, and sunshine throughout the day

 

enjoyable work; working with my hands; seeing progress

 

a delicious lunch made by my sweetheart

 

friends to share the journey with

 

technology that allows me to connect with others around the country

 

grilling burgers for supper

 

time in my woodshop working on a project for my wife

 

conversation with my niece

 

my cozy spot on the couch; sitting with my darling

 

These are just a sampling of the things I had to be thankful for this Thursday

 

I could elaborate and expand on any of them

 

but I won't bore you with the details, which in the end aren't the crucial part

 

what's important is the focus of my heart

 

were there things I could complain about today?

 

I suppose, but I'm gonna shout anyway!

 

as the line of a favorite song of mine asks

 

"How can I keep from singing Your praise?"

 

"How can I keep from shouting Your name?"

 

When the man who Jesus freed from demon-possession wanted to get in the boat and accompany Jesus on His journey, Jesus responded by telling him to go home to his people instead and tell them about the great things God had done for him and how he had been shown mercy

 

That's what I want to be about, that's how I want to be known; as one who is sharing with others the great things I have seen God do in my life, and how I am experiencing His mercy every day

 

In four days I get to see my son.  I'm going to embrace him with a very grateful heart

 

I know parents who have lost their children and wish they had one more chance to give that child a hug and let them know how much they love them.  I'm thankful for every opportunity I have to talk with and hug my kids. 

 

A wise man once said, "Children are a blessing from the Lord..."

 

How true that is

 

Sometimes it takes great tragedy for me to understand truth

 

I'm thankful God doesn't always give me what I deserve, but rather invites me to come and partake of His grace, find strength in His embrace, and rest in the confidence of His amazing love

 

I don't want to miss an opportunity to say "Thank You, Lord."

 

He is worthy of all my praise!

Thankful Thursday

 

 

I've been falling asleep on our couch a lot lately

 

It's a good feeling to come home tired at the end of a day of work

 

I'm thankful for the job God has provided for me

 

And I'm thankful I have a comfortable couch to sit on and a roof over my head

 

With all the rain we've been getting lately, I've been reminded of the blessing it is to have a place of shelter from the weather

 

God is my shelter

 

He provides a place of refuge not only from the physical storms of life, but the spiritual and emotional storms as well

 

I'm so thankful I can run into His loving arms at any time

 

grateful that His ears are always open to my cries

 

I'm thankful God is continuing His transforming work in me

 

I can see signs of growth, which is encouraging,

 

but even more of a blessing is when others comment that they see growth

 

I was reading Jesus' parable of the sower the other day

 

it got me thinking about what kind of soil most describes me

 

and I was praying for myself and for others I'm involved with that we would not be distracted as we take in God's word, but would be fruitful

 

I'm thankful for God's word; thankful it is living and active

 

I'm grateful for those who have made sacrifices which allow me to read His word in my own language

 

I'm thankful for that cloud of witnesses to God's faithfulness

 

and the stimulus they provide for me to continue growing in my faith

 

I know I can throw aside doubt and fear and anything else that would hinder my growth

 

I'm thankful Jesus lived an exemplary life of trust and dependence on the Father

 

I want to be fixing my eyes on Him and reflecting Him to the world around me