“Thank God!” someone yells. Another asks, “Why should we?”
It seems like every season brings potential for devastating storms. One year, fourteen tornadoes swirled through my part of the world. 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.
Thanks God for Protection and Life
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!”
More Reasons to Thank God
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. Then I recorded my thoughts in the following poem and want to share that with you again:
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–
like 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, bridges burned, and each new day’s sunrise,
for eyes attuned to beauty, for ears to hear your voice,
and words to sing Your praises–with 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?”
(c) 2012, Rebecca Barlow Jordan
Praise the LORD.Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever (Psalm 106:1 NIV).
*You might also enjoy this previous post, Eight Unexpected Blessings from God.
My Personal Prayer for You
Lord, we cannot begin to thank You for all You are and for all You have done in our lives. We could each write our own poems and prayers of thanksgiving to You. Today, and in the coming days of this Thanksgiving season, receive our thanks and praise as one beautiful chorus from those who love You and are so grateful. In everything, for everything, we give You thanks, God!
Day-votedly Yours,
Rebecca
It’s Your Turn
What about You? What do you thank God for this year? I love to hear from readers. You can always write me through my contact page. Just fill out the basic name and address info, and then the email will come to me. Your name or info will never be shared with anyone without your permission.
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