A few weeks ago while saying bedtime prayers with my daughter, she said, “God, I pray that the things you give us are the things we want.”
Afterward I wrote it down because it’s such an insightful statement, one that you almost miss if you don’t slow down to really focus on the words.
“God, I pray that the things you give us are the things we want.”
Notice that she didn’t say, “God, I pray that you give us the things we want.”
Do you see the difference?
So what does God give us? Here’s just a small list of things that I think we often overlook:
· Provision for Our Needs: Genesis 22:14
· Salvation: John 3:16, Romans 3:22
· Forgiveness: 1 John 1:19, Psalm 65:3
· Mercy and Grace: Psalm 103:8
· Discipline: Hebrews 12:10
· Encouragement: Psalm 138:3
· Peace: Isaiah 26:3
· Friendship: John 15:15
· Guidance: Psalm 32:8
· Hope: Hebrews 6: 18-19
· A Listening Ear to Our Prayers: Psalm 17:6
Do we ever stop be thankful for these things?
Pause for a moment and consider this: do we truly desire that God gives us the things we want over what He wants for us? What God offers is so much more! So often, the things we want are temporary and fleeting, materialistic and trite, without eternal significance. So often our prayers are focused on what we want, instead of thanking God for what He gives us and what He has planned for us.
Writer C.S. Lewis said many years ago, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”
So often we’re content to stay doing what we want, making our mud pies, when God has so much more planned for us, better than we can imagine.
I want God to change my heart so that I want the things that He gives me, so much more than the things of this world that I want. I want to open my eyes to notice all that He gives and to be thankful. I want to be content in Him, not longing for more stuff or trivial things.
It’s often a challenge living on this earth, in this human body, in our culture, but it’s a daily choice to align my heart with God’s and to be thankful for the things He gives. Will you join me?
For a great read on creating a more thankful heart, I recommend Ann Voskamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts.
Thanks for stopping by today!
