Dear Covenant Family:
Below is my TGIF message from last Friday. Cindy and I suddenly had to leave town to visit an ill friend in Miami so I could not send it as planned. Hope you enjoy my belated message.
TGIF
Do you often forget to thank God for the many blessings He has bestowed on each of our lives? You may think this is a crazy question to ask, of course we always thank God for His blessings on our lives. However, let me pose a few questions for you as a test. Has there ever been a trip that either you or family members or dear friends were planning to take, in which you prayed to God for traveling mercies for the people taking the trip? Or have you or a family member or a dear friend ever had a serious medical condition in which you prayed to God for that person to receive the best medical care possible and, hopefully, to be cured? Or have you ever prayed for a child or grandchild to get into their first choice for college, or to graduate from college, or to get this particular job that the child really wants to set their career on track? Some of these prayers may only last a few days or maybe weeks until they are resolved, and some of these prayers may last a much longer time until they are resolved.
I believe each of us have had such prayers that we have likely made many times in our lives. I would further believe that our prayers have been answered positively many times. Yet do we always remember to consciously thank God each time an important prayer of ours has been answered? When we pray for traveling mercies for travel, maybe sometimes we are overwhelmed at seeing loved ones or arriving at some beautiful vacation spot where we may be overwhelmed by the beauty of the place for awhile. But I believe there is no excuse for asking God for specific blessings and then forgetting to thank Him when our request is answered.
I can only speak for myself but I have found numerous (I hate to suggest many) times that when a prayer of mine is answered by God, I often quickly move to a new prayer of need for someone. Sometimes, a day or a week or more later I suddenly remember the prayer God answered for me (maybe God is reminding me!) and then I belatedly thank Him. I then feel badly that I forgot to thank Him for something that was important enough for me to pray repeatedly to Him!
Psalm 103:1-5 – Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget any of His benefits; 3 who pardons all your guilt, who heals all your diseases; 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with favor and compassion; 5 who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Some people like to keep written notes of their prayer list. Doing so better ensures that you will remember to thank God before crossing that prayer off your prayer list. I do not keep such a list, because my prayers may vary somewhat from day to day. So I may be more likely to forget to thank God since I am depending on my mind to work and remind me! However, that is no excuse for not properly thanking God each and every time He has blessed us with His mercy and answered our individual prayer.
If you are like me at all and sometimes forget to thank God for answering your prayer, find a way to improve your Godly communication skills so you are sure to thank Him immediately each time He has blessed you with the answer to your prayers.
Philippians 4:4-7 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus