Thanking God…

-that I could help one of my sisters celebrate her birthday this week.

-for His Word—I say that often in these posts, yet not enough.

-for books and blogs written by people who hold fast to and proclaim biblical truth.

-that the terrible things going on in the world are not baffling to God, nor beyond His sovereign control. We need not fear.

-for laughter. An elderly lady in my sisters’ building told them I had arrived and described me by saying, “she weighs a little more than you do, but she’s pleasingly put together; she’s beautiful.” Oh, my. Oh, how we laughed!

Thanking God…

for the sunshine coming in my windows.

for all the physical comforts He provides. This morning I awoke rested and thankful for our comfortable bed and so many other comforts that make life enjoyable. I remembered the days in Nepal when we slept on a thin horsehair mattress atop a wooden pallet. I washed our clothes by hand in a bucket and wished for the luxury of an old-fashioned washboard. Today I have a washer and dryer with all the latest technology. God’s provision is always perfectly suited for what He intends our life to be at any given moment. We’ve had little, and we’ve had plenty; I’m thankful for both.

for the joys and sanctifying benefits of the marriage relationship, ours in particular. I’m thankful that God enables us to do each other much good, and we glorify Him in the process. Amazing!

that He blends sorrow and joy, creating peace.

for His Word. Every day, I’m thankful for His Word and His enabling us to live by it.

I’m thanking God….

that one of my sisters has reached the six year mark of being cancer free. Wonderful!

for our warm home. It was 1 degree F when I drove to work this morning–so cold! Even with gloves on, my hands never warmed up. A cup of hot coffee came to my rescue. I’m thankful for that too.

for the Bible, and that it is so readily available. I’m thankful that God has revealed Himself in His Word, and unlike most generations of people in history, we can hold it in our hands. Think about it.

that He is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy (Jude vs 24).

Winter returned today, bringing cold winds and snow. I’m thankful that I’m able to stay home and have a quiet day. The rest of the week has been busy, so this is very welcome.

I’m thankful for the Bible; that God reveals Himself to us through it.

I’m thankful that I have eyes to read and a brain that works well enough to think and understand. I’m thankful for hands that allow me to work and serve those around me.

I’m thankful for God’s sovereignty over every part of life. Inexpressible comfort.

For the past several years I’ve followed various plans for reading the Bible through in a year. Last year, I dropped out of the chosen plan mid-year because it seemed clumsy and unhelpful. I just winged it for the rest of the year, choosing mostly New Testament books. Just after Christmas, I read about this plan, (also here), Mastering the Bible, in a Justin Taylor post in which he listed various Bible reading plans.

The idea is to choose a book of the Bible and read it through in its entirety, twenty times, then proceed doing the same thing through the entire Bible. The prayerfully repetitive reading leads to a greater depth of knowing the Scriptures. My husband has found that when preparing to teach on a certain passage, it’s very helpful and necessary to read through the whole book/books of Scripture several times through in one sitting, and he routinely does that. How much more encouragement do I need to jump in? I decided to begin in Ephesians, one of my favorite books. I’ve read through it thirteen times now, and although I’ve read Ephesians many times over many years, this repetitive reading is so beneficial. If my previous readings were like being in a room full of treasures but I only saw some of them because the room was dimly lit, this is more like having a brilliant light turned on in the room, making it possible to see treasures all over the place. Every line is full of the goodness of God and the riches He gives us in Christ Jesus. Sweeter than honey.

I’m so thankful for the Word of God. I’m thankful that it’s alive and powerful and through it I continue to be changed. I’m thankful for the good conversations my husband and I have had about what we’re reading. I’m thankful for renewed eagerness for reading the Scriptures.

Long, difficult days push my thoughts Godward, so I’m thankful for today. It was a day of testing; neurological for our son, spiritual for my husband and me. I’m thankful for God’s promise that He is with us every moment.

Songs of thankfulness and praise,
Jesus, Lord, to thee we raise,
manifested by the star
to the sages from afar;
branch of royal David’s stem
in thy birth at Bethlehem;
anthems be to thee addressed,
God in man made manifest.

Manifest at Jordan’s stream,
Prophet, Priest and King supreme;
and at Cana, wedding guest,
in thy Godhead manifest;
manifest in power divine,
changing water into wine;
anthems be to thee addressed,
God in man made manifest.

Manifest in making whole
palsied limbs and fainting soul;
manifest in valiant fight,
quelling all the devil’s might;
manifest in gracious will,
ever bringing good from ill;
anthems be to thee addressed,
God in man made manifest.

Sun and moon shall darkened be,
stars shall fall, the heavens shall flee;
Christ will then like lightning shine,
all will see his glorious sign;
all will then the trumpet hear,
all will see the Judge appear;
thou by all wilt be confessed,
God in man made manifest.

Grant us grace to see thee, Lord,
mirrored in thy holy Word;
may we imitate thee now,
and be pure, as pure art thou;
that we like to thee may be
at thy great Epiphany;
and may praise thee, ever blest,
God in man made manifest.

Christopher Wordsworth, 1862

I’m very thankful that my dentist was able to fix my broken tooth. Upon close inspection, you can see a faint line where it broke, but I’m willing to deal with that rather than paying out thousands of dollars again to replace the whole bridge. They told me it was a good thing that I saved the broken piece, that most people would have thrown it away. That surprised me; it seemed the commonsense thing to do, since I hoped it could be repaired.

Our younger son is coming came to make pizza tonight. I make the crust, he does all the rest. I’m thankful for him and his desire to fix dinner for us so I can rest.

I’m thankful for Christmas music that heralds the birth of our Savior. Glory to God in the Highest!

So many of my Christmas plans have gone awry due to illness and exhaustion. The fresh garland for the front door is still in the garage, the concrete planters by the front door stand empty, waiting for the arrangements of pine I had planned. (At least the wreath is hanging and looks beautiful.) Nary a cookie has been made, let alone delivered to neighbors. I’m thankful that as nice as these things are, they don’t begin to compare with the loveliness of thinking about the coming of our Savior—-the first time, and the next.

Thanking God…

for my older brother’s excellent test results yesterday. With all of us growing old, and our family propensity for devastating health issues, good test results generate heartfelt thankfulness.

for my new doctor; a super-credentialed Christian who seems to have a pit bull attitude when it comes to solving medical problems. I think (and so does she) she’ll be able to help relieve my chronic pain. In my husband’s words, “that would be something!”

for early morning cups of coffee.

for Christmas tree lights that give such a lovely sparkle and glow to a darkened room.

for internet shopping, an energy-saver.

for the man who is building a garage for us, and his good work skills.

that the banana allergy incident didn’t become life-threatening.

that above all, His has given His Son to be our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who should rejoice, but those who have an infinite, all-sufficient, eternal God to be their portion, and who are as rich as heaven can make them? Let us break forth into praise. O infinite, astonishing mercy, that God should take dust and ashes into so near a bond of love as to be our God! Let us live as those who have God as their own, and walk in holy lives, that others may see there is something of God in us.  -Thomas Watson