This Day in History: 0000-11-15

November 15 – Psalms 69:29-34

I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, oh God, by Your saving power. Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor Him with thanksgiving. For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle, more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves. The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged. For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; He does not despise His imprisoned people. Praise Him, oh heavens and earth, the seas and all that move in them.

What suffering, what pain do we need to call upon our God’s saving power for today? As we examine Scripture we will see that God has always been faithful to those who cried out to Him for help. Always! Do we doubt that He’ll do the same for us?

Friends, I know there are times when we can begin to feel forgotten. Times when it seems God has gone silent, but how do you think Joseph felt when he was stuck in prison for years on end? Don’t you think there were at least a few moments when He questioned what God might be doing? We have the benefit of looking at his story with the ending already included. From here, we can see what God was doing during those agonizing years. But can you imagine having to actually live through them without already knowing the ending?

Here’s my point: So often, God’s people have lost focus of the big picture and gotten stuck in their own mess, allowing themselves to be deceived into believing God wasn’t going to come through for them. (Think Israelites wandering through the dessert, or during the years of the judges, or just before Jerusalem fell) But there is one simple way to avoid that trap – remembering and thanking God for the works He has already done. Follow that up with a heart that is very quick to thank Him each time He answers, and you will find a contented and joyful person. One who is full of trust and hope!

Our Lord is delighted when the children He deeply loves lift their voices and praise His name. It thrills His heart to hear our genuine thanks. In fact, He is more pleased when we live in glad humility than He is when we offer up our sacrifices to Him. He’s far less interested in what we’re giving up for Him than He is in what we’re thanking Him for!

He wants our trust. He wants us to rely on Him to care for us, and He wants us to recognize His works and be grateful. It’s so simple. Let’s honor Him today by living according to His will!