Thankful

I am thankful for so many things in my life, but I have to admit that when it comes to acting in contentment, I am not so quick to express my gratitude. I want to start expressing my thanks in my words and actions. So in this blog post, I want to share with you what I am thankful for this holiday season. I am so very thankful for my family and my friends and my house and my food. I am thankful for God's grace and for what He did for me on the cross.

I am thankful that God fights for me. He fights for my family. He fights my stubbornness so that I can be closer to Him. He fights for me, no matter what or who I am struggling with. He fights my enemies. He was beaten and persecuted and murdered for me. He fights so that I won't be sad. He fights for my joy. He fights for my relationships. He fights for my peace and he carries it ALL on His shoulders. I am thankful that God carries me. He carries my baggage. He carries me when I can walk no more. He carries my pain and regret and He wants it all. He wants to carry everything in my life, He wants me to surrender it all to Him. Not just my baggage and hurts, but my identity and my wants and dreams and everything I have. I am thankful that He fills me. He fills me with joy and peace and comfort and assurance and encouragement. I am thankful for the way He works. He puts a song in my head or on the radio that is just EXACTLY what I need to hear. He brings someone to encourage me...about the VERY SAME thing I am struggling with. He shows me a Bible verse relating to just what I need to hear. I have seen Him answer prayers RIGHT after I've finished praying and right when it was most ironic, most impossible. I am thankful that He listens to my prayers. He listens to each and every one of my prayers (there are more than a googolplex of them) and He answers them. I am thankful for His protection and provision. I have never been harmed in any major way and I have always had all I needed. He protects me. I am thankful for His calm and gentleness. I am thankful for all He does for me. I am thankful for His love

I am thankful for all of these things but what I am most thankful for is the fact that He loves me so much that He wants to have a daily relationship with me. What an awesome God my God is! Glory to His name!

The Lord fights for me:

"The Lord will fight for you, you only need to be still." Exodus 14:14

"But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged." 1 Chronicles 20:17a

God carries me:

"Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so He spread His wings to take them up and carried them safely on His pinions." Deuteronomy 31:11

"In all their suffering, He also suffered, and He personally rescued them. In his love and mercy He redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years." Isaiah 63:9

He fills me:

"I have told you these things so that you will be filled with My joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!" John 15:5

"For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." Psalms 107:9

"And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven." Luke 24:49

"And the church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills things everywhere with Himself." Ephesians 1:23

God's way of working:

" 'My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,' says the Lord. 'And My ways are far beyond anything you can imagine.' " Isaiah 55:8

"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." Proverbs 16:9

"Truly, O God of Israel, our Savior, You work in mysterious ways." Isaiah 45:15

God listens to my prayers:

"If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me." Psalms 66:18-20

" 'In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find Me. I will be found by you', says the Lord." Jeremiah 29:12-14a

"I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you have received it, it will be yours." Mark 11:23

God protects and provides:

"Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle's!" Psalms 103:2-5

"For the Lord God is our sun and shield." Psalms 84:11a

"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

"They kept demanding an answer, so He stood up again and said, 'All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone." John 8:7 

The Lord is calm and gentle:

"The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love." Psalms 103:8

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control."  Galatians 5:22-23b

God does many things for me:

"O Lord, my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all Your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them." Psalms 40:5

God meets us where we are at and He loves us so much!:

"For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

"This is real love-not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." 1 John 4:10

"But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." Romans 5:8

"We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love and all who live in love live in God and God lives in them." 1 John 4:16

God wants a relationship with me!:

"I no longer call you slaves because a Master does not confide in His slaves. Now you are My friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You did not choose me, I chose you." John 15:15-16a



~Ash