Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 116:8-19
Ps 116:8-19
For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living. I believed; therefore I said, "I am greatly afflicted." And in my dismay, I said, "All men are liars." How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD--in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.
There is an old hymn that says: “Count your many blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done. Count your many blessings and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” I once heard someone says that we should not sing that song because we cannot count all the Lord has done for us. While he was right about not knowing all God has done for us, I still believe it is a good thing for us to rehearse the good things God does for us.
In a discussion with my mom, she reminded me that it is by God’s grace that we were born to the parents we were given, we were born in the time of history where we are, and we are born in the country where we have so many freedoms and opportunities. These are all things we easily take for granted instead of giving thanks to the Father. And these are just the things that got us started in life.
When we give someone a gift, we do not want a gift in return but we do like for them to appreciate what we have done and at least say “thank you” to us. How can we repay the Lord for his goodness to us? In a sense, there is no way we can ever repay him. Yet, in another sense, we can repay him daily. We are to give thanks to God the Father, in all things. The only way we can do this is for us to stop and think about his blessings, to name them, or to rehearse what God has done in our lives. With each new realization should come new thanksgiving.
Heavenly Father I am so thankful for the life you have given me in the time and place of your choosing. Thank you for my family, my parents, my siblings, and their families. Thank you for the many friends you have put in my life and the joy they give to me, along with the encouragement they give. Thank you for the opportunities you have given me to work with so many young people over the years. Use me to teach your will, to encourage the weak, to lift up the ones who are down, and to help those who are hurting and sad. In Jesus name.
Robert
