On a windy November afternoon, our family sat down for Thanksgiving dinner. During the meal, we took turns sharing things for which we were grateful. When it was my nephew's turn, he smiled nervously, stared at his lap, and shrugged his shoulders. He couldn’t think of anything to be thankful for. It made me think: what if we ran out of uses for the phrase "thank you"?
Suppose that during this special season, you had no cause for gratitude? What if there were no bounty of food? No new children born into the family, no graduates going off to college? No healing of your aunt or uncle who had cancer? No bonus or promotion at work? No new conversions at camp last summer? What if there were no deposits of blessings in the bank of our lives?
It would make for a very bleak picture! Most of us can’t imagine such a season, because we are aware that God makes blessing deposits in our lives all the time, which elicit a happy “God is good” or a joyful “I really feel blessed.” We balance the checkbook of life at various times during the year─especially at Thanksgiving. We look at our “blessing” bank account, see the positive bottom line, and make a withdrawal of gratitude to God.
What happens when positive deposits cease? What happens when they are replaced with catastrophes? Many people turn to self-pity or bemoaning their hardships, but there’s a better response. Think of Paul and Silas singing praise to God while in prison (Acts 16:25). Even David had his Shepherd to guide him through the “valley of the shadow of death” (Ps. 23:4). Naomi had her Ruth to comfort her in her loneliness, and Abraham had his ram in the thicket near Mount Moriah’s altar (Ruth 1:16; Gen. 22:13). These people not only knew God, but also believed this simple truth: “All I need, I already have.”
That simple phrase is not just Christian “talk;” it is the basis for deep and lasting contentment, the kind the apostle Paul learned (Phil. 4:11). How did he learn it? Perhaps by asking questions like the ones I constantly ask myself. Questions like...
“What do I have?” I don’t have use of my hands, legs, or the sense of touch to feel my husband’s embrace. But I have a voice, a wheelchair, and a man who loves me. That is all I need, according to my Lord. If there were anything more I needed, God would give it to me. He would not create my life with any lack; it would be unworthy of His good and generous character.
The litmus test of real contentment is asking, “Am I prepared to lose what I have?” Despite Job’s agony, he declared, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15). Job was prepared to believe, even to the point of death. When I think of the future, I occasionally become frightened. I know that my good health won’t last forever. My calling is not only to abandon my future wants, but to trust in God and hand over what I already possess.
Truly you and I have lots in our bank of blessings! Were we to embrace this truth this Thanksgiving season, imagine what glory there would be in heaven. Our gratitude would rise to the throne and our Father would stand and declare of us as He did of Job: “Have you considered my servants? For there are none like them on earth” (Job 1:8).
With that divine declaration, I imagine all the angels running to the bank to make withdrawals of that priceless currency, saying together, “Hallelujah!”
Read:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)
Reflect:
What are the “deposits of blessings” in your life that you may have overlooked? How can you shift your focus from what you lack to all you already have?
Pray:
Lord, thank You for the countless blessings You’ve deposited in my life. Help me to see Your goodness in all circumstances, trusting that You provide exactly what I need. Teach me to live with a content heart that glorifies You. Amen.
