Monday, November 14, 2011

What Makes Us Want To Give Thanks?





God acts in our behalf. What He does takes a worry from us. He answers our prayers. We all know that God can respond to our petitions in one of three ways. He can say, ‘Yes’ and grant what we ask for. Or he replies, ‘No’ and deny our request. Sometimes, his answer is ‘Not now.’

When our son was in Kindergarten, all they toys he wanted for Christmas were things that he was too young to have. Now, as parents, Hubby and I chose more age appropriate items. Son didn’t say anything to us about why he didn’t get what he asked for. He did ask his grandmother about it. (She had him on a fairly regular basis.) She told him that he might have been too young for what he wanted. The next fall, Hubby surprised Son with one of the toys he had wanted and explained that, yes, he was too young for it the previous Christmas and we didn’t want to see him get hurt by it.

There are times when God doesn’t answer in the way or ways we ask; He chooses to let His will be done as He sees fit. All these actions merit our thanks because He protects us and acts in our best interest.



Let’s reflect on our requests that God said “Not now” about.



Did God eventually honor those requests?



Did we find ourselves growing closer to Him at any time while we waited?



Was it an experience we gave thanks for?

6 comments:

  1. There are so many things to be thankful for. Appreciate your thoughts, Cecelia.

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  2. A lot of questions to think about. Good post, thanks for sharing.

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  3. Karen:
    Thank you for your insightful thought. I find myself looking at life differently when I search for something to thank God for.

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  4. Marja:
    Thank you for your kind comment. I find I grow spiritually when I ask myself the deep, yet basic questions.

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  5. I like that story about your son; it's a great analogy. Corrie Ten Boom tells one about her dad. He told her that when God says 'no,' it's like her asking to carry her daddy's suitcase. It's too heavy for her, so he says a loving 'no.'

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  6. Jenette:
    Thank you for your kind words. I read Corrie Ten Boom whenever she had a new book. I loved her style. I heard her speak when she was invited to our town.

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I would be honored to hear what you think about this.

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