Jeremiah 29:11
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to bless you and not to harm you, to give you a future with hope!
It is the Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend, and it is a time to reflect on all that we are thankful for. Sure there are the usual things that we do not have any trouble acknowledging and thanking the good Lord for, like family, home, shelter, jobs, security, a peaceful country that we live in, and so forth.
But.... there is always a but.......can you be thankful in ALL THINGS?
Can you be thankful for going through a broken relationship? For a chronic health condition that has no cure and no end other than death? Are you thankful for depression or financial difficulties? There are so many things that can rob us of our joy.........are we thankful for that?
Crazy I know, to even ponder to "consider it pure joy to suffer".
I know for a fact that I find it very difficult to be thankful in tough circumstances, BUT I have come to be thankful for my assurance that God cares about me and my "stuff" even when I don't understand why.
The Lord knows the plans He has for us.........to benefit us, to give us a future and a hope!
It took me until I was in my early thirties to really except that truth in this verse for myself.
May I encourage you today that you are able to except this truth for your own life, even when it is difficult to be thankful.
Philippians 4:6 says........Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present you request to God.
The next verse comes with a promise........
the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.
I believe that as we pray we need to thank Him for the answer even before we see them .
So please allow me to pray for you.......
Lord.......I thank you for all that have come to this place. May they find the encouragement that they seek, regardless of their story, whether it be one of joy or sorrow, that they can come before you with a thankful heart, knowing that you love them enough, to have their circumstances planned out for them. With humble thanksgiving I thank you not only for my life and ALL the "stuff""that has been bestowed upon me, but the precious life of the one reading this now with all their "stuff", knowing with confidence that you have a plan for their life, one with a future and hope!
AMEN
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to bless you and not to harm you, to give you a future with hope!
It is the Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend, and it is a time to reflect on all that we are thankful for. Sure there are the usual things that we do not have any trouble acknowledging and thanking the good Lord for, like family, home, shelter, jobs, security, a peaceful country that we live in, and so forth.
But.... there is always a but.......can you be thankful in ALL THINGS?
Can you be thankful for going through a broken relationship? For a chronic health condition that has no cure and no end other than death? Are you thankful for depression or financial difficulties? There are so many things that can rob us of our joy.........are we thankful for that?
Crazy I know, to even ponder to "consider it pure joy to suffer".
I know for a fact that I find it very difficult to be thankful in tough circumstances, BUT I have come to be thankful for my assurance that God cares about me and my "stuff" even when I don't understand why.
The Lord knows the plans He has for us.........to benefit us, to give us a future and a hope!
It took me until I was in my early thirties to really except that truth in this verse for myself.
May I encourage you today that you are able to except this truth for your own life, even when it is difficult to be thankful.
Philippians 4:6 says........Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present you request to God.
The next verse comes with a promise........
the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.
I believe that as we pray we need to thank Him for the answer even before we see them .
So please allow me to pray for you.......
Lord.......I thank you for all that have come to this place. May they find the encouragement that they seek, regardless of their story, whether it be one of joy or sorrow, that they can come before you with a thankful heart, knowing that you love them enough, to have their circumstances planned out for them. With humble thanksgiving I thank you not only for my life and ALL the "stuff""that has been bestowed upon me, but the precious life of the one reading this now with all their "stuff", knowing with confidence that you have a plan for their life, one with a future and hope!
AMEN
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone
No comments:
Post a Comment