Next Sunday is Thanksgiving.
I’ve chosen the passage in Psalm 107 to preach on. You can find the passage through BibleGateway.com. I’d love to have your comments, stories, thoughts as I go through preparation.
Here is a possible outline:
– Declaration – (1)
– Who should be thankful (2-32)
- – helpless and homeless (2-9)
- – despairing and despising (10-16)
- – sick and sinful (17-22)
- – discouraged and defeated (27-32)
The last part of the Psalm (33-43) is interesting. I can talk about how God loves us physically, spiritually, emotionally and provides justice for us. I’m not sure I need to do the whole thing – I try to limit myself to 30 minutes.
Thanks
It has been brought to my attention lately,
the subject of grace. More and more, I am
thankful for the grace of God, wno loves us
even when we fail. Who supplies us with
all we have. His great love for us gives
more peace than anything else in this world.
So thankful for God’s grace that overlooks
all our failings, and even gives more grace.
It has been brought to my attention lately,
the subject of God’s grace. So thankful for
His grace despite all our failings. His great
love that never fails or gives up on us.
The peace that He gives us each one who trusts
Him. It’s all grace. So thankful for the
grace and peace that He gives.
Lately thanking God for the answers to prayer before I can see the answer has helped move me from a position of discouragement to a position of victory. It is not easy being thankful during the situations that discourage – however, there is also a blessing in being thankful.
The situations somehow wither away into the shadows freeing up my eyes to see God at work right beside me. Being thankful helps me refocus on who God is and What He means to me.
This week this became clearer to me. As I walked through my days, I made a deliberate choice to be thankful for the blessings I knew, and to be thankful for the blessings on their way even though I might see them at the time. I found that once I made the choice the negativity of the moment melted. The more I voiced praise and thanksgiving (verbally or silently) the easier it was to rise above circumstances and walk upon the (water) trails of the day.
Perhaps this is an old old story, but to me it has become alive once more. There is power in being Thankful.
MaryAnne