| “I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.” |
| —Psalm 77:12 |
In this season of Thanksgiving, we need to curb our busy rushings to complete our many tasks, even if for only a brief time, and consider the goodness of our Lord. Over and over in the Psalms, we see the admonition to give our praise and thanksgiving to God. In Psalm 111:4 we read:
He has made His wonderful acts to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and merciful and full of loving compassion.
God intends for us to notice and meditate on the wonderful acts He does for us. He wants us to observe them and to purposefully review them. We can blow our minds, so to speak, by recounting the “mercies and providences of God”—as Christians in past centuries referred to them. Seventeenth century Presbyterian minister, John Flavel, wrote the following: 1
There is not a more pleasant history than our own lives. If you would but sit down and review, from the beginning, what God has been to you, and done for you. Consider the special manifestations and out-breakings of his mercy, faithfulness, and love in the conditions you have passed through. Let your thoughts dive as far as you can to the bottom, to plumb the depths of providence, and admire them, though we can’t touch the bottom.
If you will allow me to do so, I would like to suggest the following Exercise to help us understand how God has worked in our lives:
- Let us sit in a quiet place and center our minds, perhaps by reading a Psalm full of thanksgiving.
- Then, taking paper and pen, we should go back over our lives—yes, from the very beginning—and write down major mercies and graces that God has given to us.
- As you work on this Exercise, think of family, education, life experiences, people, church life, health, material goods, talents, and noble work afforded to us.
- Also, think about our understanding of God and our personal relationship with God Himself.
- Next, we should review our lists during this week and arrive at Thanksgiving Day with joy and gratitude in our hearts—joy like we’ve never before experienced.
I sincerely believe that we will encounter so many mercies and graces that God has poured into our lives that we will have trouble putting down our pens. Through this exercise, I believe we will come to understand that God has given His wonderful acts for us see and to remember!
| 1 Flavel, John (author) and Richard Rushing, editor. Voices from the Past: Puritan Devotional Reading, Vol. 2. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2016. p. 272. |
