Nancy Taylor Tate
Our crisp nights have given rise to a very pretty autumn here as green leaves turn to an array of bright red, orange, and yellow. When I look out our window at the colorful hills in the distance, I think of Psalm 121:1-2, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” How true this has been through the years. How faithful our God is!
A commitment we too can make is found in Psalm 5:3. “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”
That “morning” speaks of the beginning of the day, but it can also speak of looking to the Lord first in the circumstances and situations we face. Sometimes we wait to pray till all else fails, but why not pray first?
Psalm 100:4 tells us to “Enter into his gates with Thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless his name.”
My mother-in-law, now 92, says, “Remember all the good, forget the bad!” Perhaps that is why her smile is still so beautiful today! How often do we do the opposite? How I admire her smile that shines so quickly and naturally.
Day by day may we direct our thoughts first and foremost to the Lord, giving thanks to Him. As we develop an attitude of gratitude, we will not only feel better, we will also be an encouragement to others.
Why not try “counting your blessings,” making remembrance of every good thing you can think of? A cheery heart is good like medicine! (Proverbs 17:22) Did you know it takes fewer muscles to smile, than to frown? A smile can be contagious! Laughter, good for the soul.
It is true there is much agitation in society today, but may we not miss our opportunity to glorify Christ with our words and actions. May we become as a resting place, a home for the presence of the Lord, that which He can take joy in, in the earth today. May others feel joy and find a place of peace when they are with us. May our lives cause someone else to want to know Jesus more!
May Thanksgiving fill our hearts not just at Thanksgiving, but all the year through as with the psalmist we make this determination, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” Psalm 34:1.