"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High."
I will, I will, I will, I will…. Four times David declares his intentions. He proclaims he will give thanks, tell of God’s deeds, be glad and rejoice, and sing praises. The rest of the Psalm contains descriptions of God’s glory, and requests for God to move… But the lesson this morning is, that right out of the blocks, David DECIDES to praise God.
David’s decision was made prior to God responding to his requests. David chooses gratefulness. Instead of looking for reasons to be unhappy …. he chooses to focus on God’s graciousness. The benefits of this choice should be obvious, yet it’s a battle we fight daily. We all have things to be thankful for as well as issues to be concerned about. So, we have a decision to make. If you can fix something, fix it… but if you can’t, what is the point of worrying about it? Jesus emphasized this by asking, “Can you add one hour to your life by worrying?”.
It’s annoying to have someone say, “just stop worrying” because we think it’s not a choice. But both scripture and science indicate that gratitude nullifies anxiety. You are not alone. No matter what people’s online profile says… no one escapes the troubles of this fallen world… And at the same time, all of us are blessed with more than we deserve. So, choose.
It is not naive to be joyful; you’re not pretending you don’t have problems… It is naive to believe that worrying about them will improve anything. If we believe what we say we do... it should change us. So, it’s your call but remember that “what a man thinks in his heart… so is he.” So today, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, and anything worthy of praise think about these things.” Review that list again and be purposeful with your thoughts … Choose peace by trusting God and watch Him transform your life.
“Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.” – Glenn Turner
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