Pause and Give Thanks
I’ve been sitting here for thirty minutes, with my laptop open and running, talking with my husband about feeding the birds and the deer, about how the people we love are handling various situations and circumstances, and even about past events in lives of our parents. It’s amazing how much ground you can travel in a wandering conversation like that.
And then I looked at the clock and realized that I should get along with my job here, as the page was still blank with “add title” sort of demanding that I do so. I don’t always come to this point in the week with a clear idea of what will transpire when I start typing. It can sometimes feel like stepping off a moving sidewalk. A bit precarious as I stabilize and adjust my rhythm.
The last several posts have run along a theme from something the Lord said to me during worship several Sundays ago, and I enjoyed meditating and studying and sharing with you from that pool of refreshing water. Today, I am more reflective than driven.
I am grateful for the moment to pause and give thanks. To offer to Him my appreciation for who He is to me. To be wonder filled by who He is to the world. To listen for the sound of His voice and know He is near. Thank you, Father, for faith to believe You, for hope to see You, and for love to demonstrate your heart. You have given me life, and You continually breathe life into me. I respond to You as a flower that opens to the sun and as a tree that drinks from its roots. You provide both warmth and nourishment to my soul, and my heart and flesh cry out to the living God. You are the song in heart, and I live for You.
The mystery of prayer. That dialog between man and God that both begins and ends with Him. As we give voice to our often-wandering thoughts, the reality of God focuses our attention. His presence has caused us to respond to Him, and so we pray. His word has shaped our thoughts, and so we attend. His Spirit has hovered over our chaos, and so we are settled by His order and His peace.
Dear One, my prayer for us is that we will know Him more and more in prayer. That we will spend enough time in His word to be renewed in our thinking and be known by Him. That we will ask for the Holy Spirit to comfort us and give us courage and build us up for the pouring out of the same into the lives of others. To the glory of the Father and for the sake of our Lord and Savior.
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord. Gratitude is a doorway that leads to the wonders of being with Him.
Word Of God Speak (lyrics) Mercy Me – YouTube
Until next week, beloved, pause and give thanks and come into His presence.