Spirituality, Year End Thanksgiving to God

Year End Thanksgiving to God
By Philip Oommen, India

We have reached the end of 2003. It is a time to express our thanks to God for the great things he has done this past year.

Many people ask us �How can I praise God in my present bad situation? He gives our friends everything they pray for-while He does not answer us?� To them we answer:

�If we are not thankful, we are bitter and angry with God. If we are not content with God, we become rebellious and complaining which are serious sins before God�.

Underlying these complaints and questions lie two errors in our thinking: that God is not trustworthy and he doesn�t desire good.

When we compare these conclusions with Bible, we discover how wrong we are! Bible teaches that God is hoveringly in control, providing for and working out all the circumstances in the lives of those who live him and whom he has called (Romans 8:28, 1Cor 10:13,Phili 4:6-7) He is intimately involved with us; he works out his purposes through the events in our lives so that we may be conformed to the image of His Son.

We have further reason to praise him. The same God who formed the world in six days knows even the hairs on our heads. The same God who chose a people for himself before we were born, sent his Son to die on the cross to redeem us from our sins.

God�s love for us is not determined by circumstances in our lives. His love is steadfast. Our career or finances might fluctuate or totally break apart. In spite of that we can and we must give Him thanks for his love towards us. We must serve him with unhesitating hearts.

These days I spend an hour a day thanking God for the following blessings given to our family in 2003. Telling testimonies about God brings fellowship, and fellowship brings joy. I write this for the benefit of all readers especially the youngsters.

For God�s love, mercy, and kindness which sustained our life on earth. He supplied our Physical, Spiritual, and financial needs (Phil 4:19,20)

For His great faithfulness, even though we were faithless sometimes (2 Tim 2:13)

For protecting us from enemies. He has been our refuge (Psalm: 9:9)

For preventing us from killing our enemies due to our anger. (1Samuel 25:33,34)

He made His strength available to us in our suffering times which He turned into growing time.

For giving us good congregation, friends, church, church fathers, parents, children.

He forgave our sins, healed our diseases, redeemed us from death, crowned us with love and compassion, satisfied our desires, and gave righteousness and justice (Ps 103: 1-5)

So far he helped (1Samuel 7:12). He owned us in our trouble. He was with us by the influence of his Holy Spirit both on minds giving comforts and on the minds of those concerned with, giving us favor in their eyes.

God gave us satisfaction in Jesus.

God raised us out of nothing to abundance.

Source: IOIF