Day 12: Gratitude focus – A store manager or clerk that has been especially helpful
Quality or name of God – My Savior
______________
“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior [‘the health of my countenance,’ KJV] and my God!” (Psalm 42:11, NLT)
Yesterday afternoon in Milwaukee it was rainy and unseasonably warm…on its way to getting colder and colder as the night wore on. By late evening, the cold winds and driving rain made it the ideal setting for writing. So I lit my favorite candles, grabbed my laptop, and prepared to write what I hoped would be an earth-changing sequence of words.
However, as I looked through a few books to gather my thoughts about the verse for today and about the impact of the name “Savior,” I ran across this section in The Treasury of David. I could write until I’m purple in the face and not be able to say it this well, so I’m taking advantage of this book in the public domain and sharing these thoughts from The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon. (I added bold print for the parts that popped out at me!)
“‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?’ In the rehearsal of his sorrow, he finds after all no sufficient ground for being disquieted. Looked in the face, his fears were not so overwhelming as they seemed when shrouded in obscurity. Hope thou in God. Let the anchor still keep its hold. God is faithful, God is love, therefore there is room and reason for hope.
‘Who is the health of my countenance [my Savior], and my God.’ This is the same hopeful expression as that contained in verse five, but the addition of ‘and my God’ shows that the writer was growing in confidence, and was able defiantly to reply to the question, ‘Where is thy God?’ Here, even here, he is, ready to deliver me. I am not ashamed to own him amid your sneers and taunts, for he will rescue me out of your hands. Thus faith closes the struggle, a victor in fact by anticipation, and in heart by firm reliance. The saddest countenance shall yet be made to shine, if there be a taking of God at his word and an expectation of his salvation.”
______________
Additional reading (for reading through the Psalms in 30 days):
Psalm 12, 42, 72, 102, 132
______________
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?'” (William A. Ward)
Ideas for demonstrating gratitude to the person of focus today:
» – Call or send an email to thank your recipient for their outstanding service and/or business practices. Be sure to state a specific example.
»$ – Send a card or letter to the business leader or service representative you have chosen to thank—and be sure to mail it soon!
$ – Give your gratitude recipient an inexpensive gift of thanks. Be sure to include your thanks for their business and its impact on you.
» = free »$ = minimal cost $ = cost involved
______________
How are you doing on these exercises of showing gratitude? Are there any specific encouragements you have received so far as a result of showing gratitude to others? Feel free to leave a comment!