We
give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for Your name is near; Men declare
your wondrous works. Psalm 75:1
The
expression “thank you” can mean many things; just a courteous reply for a task
or favor someone has done for us; a curt reply at the end of a conversation in
person or on the telephone in order to end an exchange of words quickly; or it
can be a heartfelt, fervent thanks from the bottom of the heart for a gift of
love, forgiveness, or kindness. Sometimes I end in my daily prayers of
supplication for myself and others without remembering to say, “Thank you,
Lord, for your many, many blessings.”
In a phone conversation with my birth mother recently (she
is 92 and I am 72, but I have only known her for a few years) she said, “I’ve
never done very much for you.” I thought for a second and then said, “You gave
me a gift no one else ever can—you gave me the gift of life. Thank you!” I
don’t think I have ever said that to her before, and I’m not sure I had ever thanked God for the miracle of our finding each other just a few years back. After I
thought, “What if I had waited until too late to express my thankfulness to
her?”
How many times do we miss the opportunity to say ‘thank you’
when it might mean so much to someone else? I’m going to try to do better.
Prayer: Dear
Lord, I thank you for your never-failing guidance, comfort and strength, and
for your miracles, seen and unseen, that surround us. Help us to be truly
grateful for our many blessings each day. Amen
Betty McBride (reprinted from the Eastridge Daily Devotion book, printed in 2008)
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