Is it hard to Say “Thank You?”

Is it hard to Say “Thank You?”

You may read this question and think, “Of course not!” It’s easy to thank God for who He is and what He’s done. It’s easy to thank the waiter or waitress for doing a good job. But I challenge you to really think about this…
Can it sometimes be hard to say, “thank you” ?

I think it can...

When a person gives you an extravagant gift you know you don’t deserve, it sometimes can make you feel uncomfortable. You might feel unworthy. You might try to “reject” the gift. Or, you might just feel uncomfortable by a person’s continual generosity.

I had a girlfriend in law school that constantly bought me a Starbuck’s coffee to our study dates and would never let me pay her for them. She would drive by Starbuck’s at least 2-3 times a week and pick up our coffee. It was so thoughtful, sweet and generous (you know it can get expensive). She would get offended if I tried to pay her back or cut in front of her to pay at a Starbuck’s line. It was something she felt she had to do…What could I say but “thank you?”

I think sometimes people can do something for us that catches us off guard and we aren’t prepared to properly say thank you. One time a woman in my Bible study group was surprised when she came to study and there were boxes and boxes of diapers for her newborn twins. She called me later and asked, “Did I even say thank you to the group?” She was surprised by the generosity and was literally speechless. (She did say thank you by the way)

There are so many verses in the Bible that talk about thanksgiving.

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15

When is it a sacrifice of praise to give God thanks? When it hurts. When we are in a trial or when we don’t feel especially thankful. I have a friend with a child with Autism. I am sure it is especially hard for her to thank God for this. It is an ongoing trial for her and her family. But does she thank God even when it is hard to? Absolutely. She says that she can see God’s hand at work in her child, in her family and in her walk with God and although she can’t wait until her child is completely healed in heaven, she can continually offer the sacrifice of praise, thanking God for who He is and TRUSTING although not all things are good, all things are working together for good. Amen?

AMEN.

Sometimes it is a sacrifice of praise to give thanks because we are prideful. A relative of mine once said, “Why should I thank God for this? I am the one that did it!” That’s just pride. Not one single heart beat or breath or thought can occur without God. Sometimes pride can creep in and we don’t feel we need to give thanks to God. It can be simply, “I did a good job at work and I deserved that gratitude from my boss.” Or “I worked hard on dinner and I deserved that gratitude from my husband.”
Wrong.
We deserve nothing.
God deserves the credit and thanks and it is a sacrifice of praise when we can die to ourselves and pride and truly say, “God does give talents and gifts but how can I receive the credit, praise or glory? How can someone praise the gift more than the gift-giver?”
Sometimes it is a sacrifice of praise to give thanks because we are bitter. This is tied to pride but slightly different. When a person feels “wronged” by something or someone, when that person does something polite or kind, the “wronged” person may feel there is no need to say thank you. “Why should I say ‘thank you’ when he hurt me to begin with?” He is only correcting the wrong and there is no need to say thank you. We are even. This is another time we can offer a sacrifice of praise to God by giving thanks. Sometimes God allows things to stretch our faith and to grow our faith. When the trial is done and we’ve come through the fire, sometimes we stay “bitter” by the trial and don’t thank God for the answers to prayer…
At Thanksgiving, it’s easy to give thanks for our food, for our families and for our spiritual and material blessings, but it isn’t easy to say “thank you” to a person who has wronged us…It isn’t easy to say “thank you” to God when we are in a trial or when we see others suffer or we see injustice. But truly, God is well pleased when we continually, not just on Thanksgiving day, but we continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, giving thanks to His name. Thanking God for His love, His saving grace, for His sovereignty, for His perfect will, for His hand in our life even in the midst of trials…we can even thank God for the trial itself knowing that although we don’t understand it, somehow in God’s infinite wisdom He WILL work it together for good in our life. It’s certain. It’s a fireproof promise from His Word (Rom 8:28)
It’s God’s will to give thanks.
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thess 5:18
So even if you are upset, or confused, or you might feel so emotionally and mentally tired to give thanks, do it any way…for in this, you are giving a sacrifice of praise and God is well pleased.

God’s Shadow is PERFECT Shade

HE who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1

Wikipedia states, “A shadow is an area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object. It occupies all of the space behind an opaque object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, or reverse projection of the object blocking the light.”

This is profound to me.

You see, a shadow is not the “thing.” A shadow is a reflection of an object that is blocking the light.

The Bible says, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” John 1:18

Moses desired to see God’s glory but He could not. No man or woman conceived in sin could see God and live. He could only see Him from behind.

“Then I will remove my hand, and you will see me from behind. But my face will not be seen." Exodus 33:23 NLT

A shadow is the silhouette of the image of something or someone. The shadow is a reflection of the substance.

What is the substance? Christ Jesus Himself.

The Bible describes the law as a shadow or “preview” of what was to come…
As it says in Colossians, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Colossians 2:16-17 (emphasis mine)

The law was only a shadow of Christ’s completed work…

"For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect." Hebrews 10:1

Only Christ can make us perfect.

So again, what is the point of giving some thought to God’s shadow? Well a person who chooses to dwell with God (in the secret place of the Most High) will live or abide under the shadow of the Almighty God. If we choose to continually dwell with God, God provides our shelter, our shade, from a hot and dry land. We rest under His shadow. He is our covering. Again, who is the shadow? I believe the shadow is Christ Jesus Himself, for He is the express image of the Father. (Hebrews 1:3)

A Future and a Hope

I have been reading through Jeremiah and I must confess, it's depressing....So many terrible things happen in this book. The people reject Jeremiah's prophecies, Jeremiah weeps, the people continuously reject God and His promises, etc.

"Jeremiah is known as 'the weeping prophet' (Jeremiah 9:1), but he did not weep for himself. He wept over the lost condition of his people..." (author unknown)

So as I was reading I came across one of our beloved verses...Jeremiah 29:11. It just jumped out at me...I read through Jeremiah's call to repentance, his prophecies about Israel about to be overtaken by Babylon, about a promised remnant, etc.

Wiersbe says the four themes of Jeremiah are rebellion, repentance, righteousness, and retribution.

It's a tough read. It seems as though God's people will never get it together...God even gives a picture to Jeremiah of good figs and bad figs and calls His people "bad figs" that cannot be eaten. There is nothing more nasty than moldy fruit! But the good figs represented the remnant God would preserve...

When I came across Jeremiah 29:11, I was reminded of all the times I have read this verse...in a card on graduation, in a card for a baby dedication, etc. I love this promise from God's Word! The LORD had reminded me of it for the future of my son Isaac. Some say he has a "speech delay" because at almost 3, he is not saying words yet. Nonetheless, God spoke to my heart and reminded me that His plans and thoughts towards Isaac are good and not evil...

But there was something new I learned from this verse...the historical context!

Listen to the verses before and after it:

"The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel says, 'Do not let the prophets and mediums who are there in Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams because they prophecy lies in my name. I have not sent them.' says the LORD. The truth is that you will be in Babylon seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you, ' says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you, 'says the LORD. 'I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you home again to your own land.' " Jeremiah 29:8-14

It's been an amazing journey over the last 11 weeks studying Daniel at Calvary Chapel Chino Valley with the women's Bible study. The Beth Moore DVD series is an awesome compliment and commentary to studying this amazing book...

Since we have been in Daniel, I was so familiar with this Babylonian exile that Jeremiah talks about here....Babylon is a type of the world, a self-centered, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, godless society. We live in Babylon today. We are encouraged to be like Daniel, to pray even if it is against the law and to NOT bow down to the world's golden image, even if it means we are thrown into a lion's den. Here, Jeremiah warns us NOT to believe the false prophets. The Israelites were being lied to. They were told, "Don't worry! You aren't going to be taken captive for 70 years into Babylon, so just ignore Jeremiah's warnings." God says, "That's a lie! You are being lied to! I know my plans for you and I know what I am doing and what I am doing is always, yes, always for your good!" (please note, not all things that are allowed in this world ARE IN THEMSELVES GOOD, but God will always work them together for good -Rom 8:28)

Wow! This amazing promise from the LORD (Jeremiah 29:11) has even MORE power in my life in knowing that God did send Jeremiah to give warning of judgment- they would be taken captive by evil Babylon for 70 years, but this was not the end!!! God would end their captivity and restore them. It's like us friends!!! We are in a world that is not our home. We are living in a world that loves evil...but God is at work!

The verses right after Jeremiah 29:11, verse 12 and 13, say, "In those days you will pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me"

We must do our part too! We must pray and read.

I love what Warren Wiersbe says, "God's people have the responsibility to seek the LORD, pray and ask Him to fulfill His promises, for the Word and prayer go together." (Acts 6:4).

Isn't that so awesome?

I know you love Jeremiah 29:11 too- God's promise that His thoughts and plans for us are good and not for evil or disaster and that He promises us a blessed future and a hope. But what are we to do about this? Pray all the more! Pray God's Word BACK to Him and seek Him out in His Word.

What an encouragement! Thank you LORD for books like Jeremiah and Daniel that give us examples of people who were faithful in a generation that rejected them...