Thank God? Why Should We?

 

“Thank God!” someone yells. Another asks, “Why should we?”

It’s the season for devastating storms. Fourteen tornadoes swirled through my part of the world last week. Weathermen reported a twister on the ground a few miles from town, headed in a direct path for our neighborhood. My husband and I prayed and took cover in the bathtub for several minutes, protected by sofa cushions.

Fortunately the tornado lifted, and we thanked God that it passed over our city. But as we watched the news channel later, we heard the testimonies of others who had lost entire homes and property in other places, not too far away. “Thank God!” they said. “We’re still alive, even though we had so much damage!”

Most people feel a sense of great gratitude to God for sparing lives or loved ones in times of tragedy. But why else should we thank God?

One day I decided to count some of those reasons. I recorded my thoughts in the following poem:

How Can We Thank You, God?

By

Rebecca Barlow Jordan

How can we thank You, God?  Let us count the ways.

We thank You for your patience on long and trying days.

We thank You for the friendships You give us through the years,

for fighting all our battles, for calming all our fears.

Our hearts are filled with gratitude for promises You made,

for vows never broken, and for the price You paid

to cover all the debts incurred from foolishness and pride.

For the shelter from the storms of life, a place to run inside,

we thank You, God, today, and for each precious gift of life–

a father, mother, son or daughter, husband or a wife.

Our voices ring with joyfulness because of all You do–

For unseen angels watching us and helping us get through

the heavenly encounters that come to each of us.

For loving us the way we are, when we complain and fuss,

How can we thank You, Lord, enough, and yet there’s so much more:

For small and mighty miracles, for opening up the door

to greater opportunities than our limited dreams or visions.

We thank You for forgiveness when we make the wrong decisions,

for answered prayers, heart repairs, and blessings in disguise,

for lessons learned, for bridges burned, for each new day’s  sunrise,

for eyes attuned to beauty, for ears to hear your voice.

For words to sing Your praises–and hearts that can rejoice.

The question really isn’t, “Why should we thank you, God?”

Instead, because of all You’ve done, “God, how could we not?”

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