Give Thanks in Joy

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November 17
"So often in life we place God in our sights between us and the thing we long for, the thing that seems far out of reach.  And we pray.  We see God as the pathway to it, the gatekeeper to what we want, what we need.  And when we arrive, what then?  Do we dwell there in gratitude? Do we offer up a thank you to correspond with each please? Or do we shift our gaze to the next thing on the horizon?
When Jesus healed the, only one of the ten came back to thank him." (Luke 17)"
"Each gift is an opportunity to turn to the Giver."
She Reads Truth

Reading this made me think of a young child's birthday party when they receive an overload of gifts.
They are opening packages so fast and tossing them aside without even making eye contact with the giver in most instances.

The blessings we say over our meals can become rote...God is great, God is good... and lack a sincerity of gratitude or personal connection with the Giver.  Some mornings I awaken and am on to my devotional writing, Bible Study or prayer list without ever saying good morning to God or thanking him for seeing me through the night. I walk into the day, like the 9 lepers, oblivious to the presence of Jesus and the influence he has on my life.  Fortunately, in those times, reading the Word of God has a way of awakening the Holy Spirit and rightly aligning my soul to it's true need...humbling myself before my Creator.

Taking some verses from Psalm 30 and Luke 17, let's pray...
Father, time and time again in our lives you have turned our mourning into dancing and filled us with gladness, but the measure and longevity of our gratitude doesn't equate with the intensity of our crying out and the emotion of our distress.  Please forgive us.  We don't want to be like the nine lepers who were healed and walked away without even a thank you.  May our accolades of thanksgiving out number our cries for help.  When we ask for prayer may we always be quick to resound with grateful hearts full of praise. May the "thank you's" in our day outweigh our wants and supplications.  In Jesus' Name, Amen

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