I Samuel 12:24
“But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.”
Today’s focus will be on the last charge, “consider what great things he has done for you.” We do need to consider this, as He does (and has done) so much. The overwhelming majority of what He does we aren’t aware of. Looking back and being grateful is an important step in maturity. I think of the instance in which Jesus healed ten lepers. However, only one returned to say “thank You”, (Luke 17:17). Jesus asked “Where are the other nine?”
That’s a good question; why are we not inclined to be grateful? It’s back to the maturity issue. We will have needs and wants for the rest of our lives. We can be consumed with them to the point that we are anxious about them being met. That’s what drives some of us. We’ve all been there.
The mature one can interrupt this cycle and be thankful. If we reflect upon ourselves, we can see that it’s a vicious cycle. We can pause it and do the important thing. When we pause and reflect upon God’s great acts, we are putting trust in Him. We are making the admission that our consciousness doesn’t always need to be focused on the next thing. That’s demonstrating trust. We are agreeing with Him that He’s got us.
Proverbs 3:5,6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” When we trust the Lord and request His help and guidance, He gives it. It’s usually not as we would have thought, but it’s there. This is an amazing fact. The God of the universe works in conjunction with us. He’s much more than a life coach. He’s the all knowing, all powerful God.
There’s a popular song which has a lyric that says, “I’m fully known and loved by You”. To be fully known without love is frightening. However, He loves us and is sensitive to our fears and apprehensions. I’ve heard it said that “The Holy Spirit is a gentleman.” While there are some problems with that, the true part is that He won’t embarrass us. Most have things that they are ashamed of. God knows and cares. This is something to be thankful for.
The Lord does much for everyone. Much of it is indirect, as all humans receive this as a part of being alive. However, it’s all from the Lord. The miracle of life, the human body, health and our ability to heal. Nature and the incredible companions that we have in dogs and cats. The joy that we have in our hearts and so on. All people experience these things even though they don’t believe. What few unbelievers realize is that God is the provider of almost all that they enjoy.
Another assumption of many unbelievers is that death will provide much of the blessings that they experience here. However, hell is the absences of all that is God. So all of the amazing things described in the previous paragraph will be gone. The absence of the Lord will produce great misery.
Lord, thank You for all You’ve done for us. Help us to be ever grateful.