“O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.” Psalm 40:5 (NIV)
The old favored hymn refrain, Count Your Blessings, by Johnson Oatman goes
“Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”
Have you ever tried to count the many blessings you have received in your life? For me, the list is never-ending. I am blessed. Blessed means fortunate, favored; it does not mean that everything in my life is perfect, nor am I perfect. Life has not been and is not a smooth road without potholes and in need of major repairs. Yet, I am so blessed.
Sometimes the blessings are so hard to see. It oft seems that what I pray for, what I think I want or need is ignored by God. Does He not want me to pay my bills? For good health of loved ones? Endurance to continue the journey He has set before us? To paraphrase Laura Story, sometimes the blessing comes in the absence of what I am praying for.
Blessings are not earned; they are given. Malachi 3:10b says that the Lord will (has and is) “open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in!” (NIV). He has surely done just that! How can I not declare His praises, give Him the glory. “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for unfailing love and faithfulness” Psalm 115:1 (NIV).
Today, I am counting my blessings and giving Him the praise. You are one of those blessings.
Digging further: Psalm 13:6; Psalm 10:6; Ephesians 1:3
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