Making a list and checkin’ it twice…that’s me. Problem is most of my lists are in my head and by the time I get pen to paper (okay, I’ve not mastered the iphone yet), I’ve forgotten half of what I was supposed to do. When I do gain victory with the list-making, I have this sense of organization and control that doesn’t come with mere mental notations. I love the freedom gained from finishing a task and checking it off.
I awoke early this Thanksgiving morning to thoughts of what needed to yet be done. Cheesecake baked: check. Rolls rising: check. Berries prepared: check, check. Still undone?…the list goes on. Then the gentle quiet nudge of the Holy Spirit reminded me. That’s His role, you know. I turned my thoughts to Him. His goodness. His many blessings. His benefits. Psalm 103 popped into my head. Forget not all His benefits. So I began another kind of mental notation.
Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and FORGET NOT all his benefits, the good things he does for me…
He FORGIVES all my sins…
He HEALS all my diseases…
He RANSOMS me from destruction…
He SURROUNDS me with loving kindness and tender mercies…
He SATISFIES my mouth with good things…
He RENEWS my youth like the eagle’s.
Here’s how I’m checking off my remembrance list this Thanksgiving morning.
I will not forget that the Lord placed me in a loving Christian home where I experienced Christ daily and where I found my own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That He opened my eyes to understand being a believer is not a legalistic list of do s and don’t s. That He forgave all my sins and is helping me to become a true follower of Jesus Christ. Check!
I will not forget that He healed my infertility, arthritis and cancer. That His Name was bigger than these diseases. That He healed them all and let me live to see my children and grandchildren. I will not take good health for granted. Check!
I will not forget that the Lord constantly redeems and ransoms my life from destructive forces around me. That He has protected me when my choices weren’t His best. That He bought me back from the enemy’s plan to kill, steal and destroy everything good around me. That He gave me abundant life. That He made me His own. Check!
I will not forget that privilege of daily living in His presence. That He surrounds me with favor like a shield. That He is above me, beneath me, at my side, out in front, and guarding me from behind. That because of His love, kindness, grace and mercy, I am not consumed. That His faithfulness every day is great toward me. That I am a recipient of divine blessings as I live, move and have my being in Him. Check!
I will not forget that He is the Source of all good things, and that every good and perfect gift is from above. I will not forget that He alone satisfies my needs. That He gave me a godly husband and two terrific sons. I will not forget how He brought daughters-in-love with my sons into our family. I will not forget the blessings of grandchildren who light up my life every day. I will not forget the blessing of living in the same city with my family and being in ministry together. I will not forget the launching of CityCom and the new people He has brought into my life. There is satisfaction knowing it all comes from Him, that He opens His hand and satisfies the desires of every living creature, including me. Check!
I will not forget that He is my Strength when I am weak. That He enables me to walk on the heights with a surefooted steadiness. That He goes before me and holds all things together in my life. That He keeps me from being weary when I run and from fainting when I walk. That He does it all. And I really like the benefit of knowing He renews my youth every day (hey, I am a grandmother), as I set my heart on Him. Check! Check!
A note in my Bible says that when you feel you have nothing for which to praise God, read David’s list above. We receive all these things without deserving any of them. David stirred his inner self to remembrance. Let’s stir ourselves this day to remember His benefits. FORGET NOT! Check! Check!