In Psalm 100 we are exhorted to ‘Bless the Lord’ and to ‘not forget His benefits’. How extraordinary that we can bless the source of all blessing. What an incredible thought that our gratitude can bless God’s heart, make Him happy!!! Amazing! the God of all joy and gladness can be ‘blessed’ by us, and it’s so simple to do.
I was recently greatly moved by realizing that God is delighted, when I am delighted by what He has done for me or what He has given me. Little children are so good at this. How many of us have not experienced the sheer joy and affection we feel when we have given a little child something that really delights them. Very different to when a gift is accepted and we are ‘thanked’ but it is just a formality.
Again asking the Holy Spirit to highlight God’s goodness to us in our everyday life is so important. This is because we miss so much of His goodness to us in our business and our preoccupation with all that needs to be done.
Slowing down to thank Him, for the beauty around you, or for an item of food or clothing you love, for a friend or for something in your home, sets a pattern of ‘noticing’ His loving care and goodness in the every day and ordinary.
At school at dinner time we used to have to say ‘grace’. It went “For what we are about to receive may the Lord make us truly thankful”. I’m not sure how much this ‘blessed’ Gods’ heart, it’s more like a prayer addressing God in the third person, stating that we are not really thankful. I think He would probably rather hear “Wow Lord those chips look great, thank you so much for potatoes and shops and giving me the means to buy them, I love you”
As we grow into living a life filled with thanksgiving, we again find so much more connection with our wonderful heavenly Father and sense His joy in our joy. We also take seriously the psalmists exhortation in the Bible and set our hearts to bless His. What a privilege!
