I Am So Thankful!

Psalms 138:1-3,7-8 ESV

“I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;

    before the gods I sing your praise;

I bow down toward your holy temple

    and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,

    for you have exalted above all things

    your name and your word.

On the day I called, you answered me;

    my strength of soul you increased.”

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

    you preserve my life;

you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

    and your right hand delivers me.

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;

    your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

    Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

What do I have to be thankful for to God? Well, first and foremost I thank the Lord for rescuing me out of a life of sin and giving me a new life in him with purpose, joy, peace, and assurance of salvation and of eternal life in him. I thank him that he did not leave me dead in my sins, but that he lifted me up out of that slimy pit and he set me on a solid rock and he gave me a new song to sing of praise to my Lord for all that he has done for me.

I am thankful that, through the power of the Holy Spirit living within me, I am able now to live a holy life pleasing to God. This is not claiming sinless perfection, though (see 1 John 2:1-2). I am just so thankful that the Lord delivered me out of my slavery to sin so that I can now, by the Spirit, live as God wants me to live, free from the control of sin, and now free to please the Lord and to obey him in what he has called me to do.

I am thankful that he called me to his service and that he is using me in the way that he is using me for the salvation of human lives, for the encouragement of the body of Christ, and for my own spiritual growth and maturity in him. And I am thankful for likeminded followers of Christ with whom I am able to enjoy sweet fellowship in the Lord Jesus. Although we are in the minority, we encourage one another in the love of Christ.

I am thankful to the Lord for the good times, but even for the bad times, and for the hard lessons, and for persecutions and trials and tribulations. For through these he has strengthened me in my walk of faith in him, and I have grown closer to the Lord in sweet fellowship with him, and I have a greater sense of purpose for my life than I ever had before, especially in relation to these troubled times in which we all now live.

And I am thankful for my family, for my husband, for my children and children-in-law, for my grandchildren, for my sisters and brothers, two of whom are no longer with us, and for all of their family members, and for my cousins and any other relatives in my life. I am thankful for the good times and for the bad, for all of them and all our experiences together have blessed my life in one way or another, as I have hopefully blessed them.

And I thank the Lord for all his provisions in my life, for his unending mercy, for his counsel, for his direction in my life, for his strength and encouragement, and just for being there for me when I needed him most. I am so grateful for his love and his compassion and his friendship and companionship, without which I would be totally lost. And I thank him for his spiritual protection over my life and for never leaving me all alone.

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

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