Annie
Scriptures
Isaiah 43:1-2
Isaiah 49:16
Jeremiah 31:3
Psalm 139:13-18
As I gazed at the ever changing palette in the dawn sky, the beauty was breath taking. No matter how many dawn skies I see, I never cease to be amazed at the uniqueness of each masterpiece, and I feel so privileged to be able to witness these wonderful works created by the imagination and care of our God. And I ask myself, why? Why would the One who created the galaxies and universes, with all their complexity, choose to delight us with these masterpieces?
And my question becomes a prayer, calling out to God to open my heart, to enable me to understand just how much I am loved by Him, to see how precious I am to Him. Each day I have this yearning to understand more deeply the extravagance of God’s love for me, but not only for me, for each and every person on this planet. I call out to be able to see clearly and in intimate detail the myriad of gifts He places in front of me each day. The gift of life itself, with all its ups and downs, is a gift whose beauty and joy we will never truly see through our meagre eyesight. I call out to Holy Spirit for fresh encounters with Him, and the grace to recognise each one, that I may never miss even the most fleeting one in amongst all the distractions of my day. That each encounter would draw me closer to God who loves me without measure.
And then, I realise that, more than anything, I need to learn to respond with humble thanksgiving and total gratitude, to the love God has for me, for how precious I am to Him and how blessed I am to know Him. I earnestly and honestly want to grow in this gratitude, I want to learn how to be more grateful and to be able to express my thanksgiving as naturally and automatically as taking a breath.
Imagining that the depth of God’s love for me has caused my name to be engraved on His hands, is too vast to comprehend, yet it is true. That is how much I am valued by God, the One who created time for us to dwell in so that He could demonstrate how much He values us. His lavish generosity overflows to us in ways we so often take for granted; in awe of Him, I pray that He would teach me to be as generous toward Him, that my being would overflow with gratitude and adoration to Him, as lavishly as I possibly can.
Is it any wonder that we are exhorted that our prayers must be conjoined with thanksgiving? In the book of Jeremiah, God reminds us that He has loved His children with an everlasting love, a love that existed within Him since before the dawn of time and will continue when time ceases to be. Our hearts truly should burst with thankfulness when that golden nugget of truth sinks into our understanding.
When we begin our prayers with thankfulness for all that God is, all that He is doing, has done and will continue to do, God reveals how that thankfulness affects us. We see more clearly how we are totally accepted in the beloved, that He will always go before us and guide our way, that we can utterly rely on His mercy and faithfulness, that it is His delight to reveal the beauty of His creation to bring us joy and rest in Him.
Prayer: Abba Father, from the depths of our being teach us to open our hearts to You in prayer and thankfulness in the morning as we wake and begin our day in service to You. Remind us to be in constant communion with You throughout our day and, with hearts full of gratitude, guide us as we seek to recall all the blessings of our day when we lay down to rest and sleep. May we ever remember this rhythm of life, a life where we honour You and You alone, for it is You alone who deserves all the glory, our wonderful God and King. Amen
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