OVERWHELMED BY GRACE
“Taste
and see that the Lord is good…” (Psalms 34:8, NIV)
As I meditate on the great goodness of God and my multitude
of blessings, I am overwhelmed! God is so good and so faithful, and He has blessed
me so abundantly, undeserving that I am. As I reflect on this past year, I praise
and thank God for the healing He has brought into my life. Although not completely
well, I am much better from CFIDS than I was even two years ago, and that is definitely an answer to prayer! Other great blessings from God include living in a free country where we can elect our leaders; attractive,
warm winter clothes to wear; plenty of good food to eat; a nice home to live in; a wonderful husband and the list goes on
and on.
Both the Old and New Testaments are full of common folk, just like us, praising God for His goodness, mercy
and grace. One of my favorite praise passages is Mary’s Magnificat found
in Luke 1:46-55. In these verses, Mary pours out her praise to the Lord for choosing
her, a lowly maiden, to give birth to Jesus. Several verses down, we read Zechariah’s
song to the Lord, praising him for the coming of the Messiah and for sending His forerunner, John the Baptist (Luke 1:68-79). And how could we forget Simeon’s famous statement after seeing the promised
Lord’s Christ, “Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation…” (Luke 2:29-32).
What blessings can you truly praise and thank God for
today? I know that many of you who read this devotional are experiencing severe
trials of chronic illness and/or pain, but that doesn’t mean we don’t all have something to be thankful for. Remembering Romans 8:32 always encourages me to put my hope and trust in the Lord,
as “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously
give us all things?” Amen.
Dear Jesus: Forgive us when we grumble and complain about our circumstances
when You have given each of us so much to be thankful for!
