If I Were To Count My Blessings

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His holy name.

With praise I have found the key
Gratitude fans into flame
Because when we are grateful
We bring honor to Your name

 

If I were to count my blessings
Name them one by one
Where would I begin
And number the vast sum

 

When my heart was broken
Hurting and in despair
It was then He was the closest
I felt His tender loving care

Looking back at all those times
How foolish I had been
His tender conviction toward me
Was lovingly ushering me in

When I was most ignorant
Blindly going my own way
You never once condemned
Patiently waiting as if to say

Don’t you see your error
These ways lead only to death
When you have had enough
Stop and take a breath

Use your words for praise
That’s how genuine gratitude grows
It is how it works in My kingdom
It is how My grace does flow

I love a cheerful giver
I delight in a merry heart
Tell Me again you know My Grace
Gave you a brand new start

Your goodness oh God, immeasurable
How can we be so blind
To think You’re not helping
What will it take for us to find

Open our eyes to see
Give us ears that hear
Your goodness I shall tell
To all that will come near

I am so grateful for Your love
I am thankful for Your care
But most of all I thank You
Because You were always there

I’m thankful for your mercy
When I deserved the worst
Forever changed and protected
Blessed now totally immersed

The doors that You have opened
Instructed only to knock
What I thought was withheld
Simply needed to be unlocked

With praise I have found the key
Gratitude fans into flame
Because when we are grateful
We bring honor to Your name

I thank You Lord my Savior
From the bottom of my heart
May my gratitude never be silenced
From beginning of new days start

And as my day progresses
Should life begin to unravel
Remind me again of Your love
As along life’s road we travel

If not for Your untold goodness
And love for all lost sinners
We wouldn’t have had a chance
Because we once were all beginners

Remind us to be examples
With our unending Gratitude
Because You Father look on the heart
And it is made evident by our attitude

© laurette laster 2018

 

I’m sure each of us has that “___________” event or situation where we know that God in His goodness saved us from ourselves and from death. Many of us, I for sure, have situations where I know God saved my life.

This Thanksgiving I am very grateful for so many things. I am thankful for my family and friends. I am even thankful for enemies who cause me to press into God and check myself and my motives periodically. I am grateful and thankful that I have a roof over my head, food for my table, food to share with others, running water, a vehicle, and the ability to serve The Lord openly. The list could go on and on. Like in the stanza above, who could list the vast sum of blessings we have?

No, I do not have everything I want, because what I want the most isn’t a physical or a material need. I have every material blessing I need. That doesn’t mean I have no wants or that I will not get more, it just means I am not ’in need’ of any material thing.

My greatest desires involve others. My deepest desire is for my family and loved ones to be healed and whole, physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally, mind, body, and soul. I pray they know and trust and serve The Lord with gladness and with their whole hearts. I desire like minded friends. Not friends who are like me, but friends who love The Lord, and want His will to be done in their lives and the lives of others. I am thankful and I am blessed. Who in their right mind wouldn’t love and serve The Lord?

Years ago, during a very difficult time emotionally in my life, The Lord notified me of something I had not thought of.  It’s not like I didn’t know what He told me. And yes it was very true; I had just never put it in proper perspective. Isn’t it funny how God wants to keep our perspectives straight? Returning home from work one evening while pulling into my secure garage, complete with a new garage door opener I had professionally installed, He spoke these words in my spirit; you park your car in a better place than many people live. Wow. That will make you reconsider your gratitude list. Yes I am thankful, even for a garage to park my car in? You bet I am.

In my life I have worried about whether a loved one would continue to fight to live. I have worried about addiction (mine and others) ruining lives and families. I have worried if there would be enough money to pay the bills, because someone else didn’t share my same value system. I have faced real issues. When I left my dysfunctional marriage where most of my fears were rooted, I found hope. I put my trust completely in The Lord and stepped out on faith to believe He; God could and would restore my life. I met a very real, kind, loving, compassionate, forgiving, jealous God. I met a God who wanted to be my Father. He is a Father to the fatherless and a husband to the widow, kind of God. I came face to face with a tenderhearted God who forgives all our inequities. All? Yes All! Today I have faith and trust in my loving heavenly Father, He hears my prayers. He cares about me.  Jesus talking; therefore I tell you do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Can any one of you by worrying add one single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:25, 27 NIV)

In Philippians we are told; Rejoice in the Lord always, I will it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 NIV)

 

Shout for joy to The LORD, all the earth. Worship The LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs, knowing that The LORD God, It is He who made us, and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise, give thanks to Him and praise His Holy Name. (Psalm 100:1-4 NIV)

 

I say let’s Rejoice and I say again; Rejoice. Come into His courts with thanksgiving and praise. For God is faithful and worthy to be praised. In all situations, not for all situations, I shall praise Him and lift my hands.

God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you and give you Shalom.

Until next time, thank you for listening with me. Lauette