Praise be to you, Lord, for your protection and provision, for your goodness and grace. We awoke this morning in our own house, with heat, light and water, with clothes, food and furniture, with your love, presence and kindness. We are able to see, hear, walk, talk and use our hands. For all this we give thanks
But more than that, I praise you that we can be your children, in the Kingdom of Light, in your Love, in your Favor, in your Grace. I praise you that you have taken us from being condemned criminals, filthy in our foolishness and rebellion, to being forgiven, cleansed, adopted, commissioned and embraced. I praise you that you have given us all that our hearts could desire—love, joy, peace, eternal life, purpose, meaning, hope and a future.
But far beyond that, you have given us yourself, you, the Eternal, Living, All-powerful Creator who is Holy, Perfect, Good and Gracious. In your goodness and love, Lord Jesus, you were willing to leave the pure perfection of heaven to come to live in the flea infested, filthy, sin-ridden violent world among selfish, evil and hateful people.
And you did this to redeem, at great cost, all of those rebels, knowing that a good percentage of them would spurn your offer of grace, forgiveness, love and eternal life. You are the ultimate in love, giving and goodness.
How can we doubt anything that you have to say? You promise your presence as our Great and Good Shepherd, leading us through life, over the hills of opposition, through the valleys of difficulty, out onto the plains of pleasantness and on into more adventures with you.
As we read the news and see the crumbling of societies and the spreading of war, we can rest in you, knowing that you have a plan to move all to a conclusion where evil will be eliminated, grace will be great, good will be glorious and we will be in your presence forever.
In the light of such truth, we can only fall before you in thanksgiving, rejoicing in your beauty and grace, your goodness and glory. May we honor you today in word and thought, in motive and deed, for you are our Mighty Rock and Refuge (Ps. 19:14).
