"Worship"

I want to go on record,

As a very thankful man,

One who praises Jesus,

And does the best he can,

To praise the Lord in everything,

Just like the Bible says,

And learn godly contentment,

To clearly show I’m His.

And now I’m one year older,

Thanksgiving comes again,

And I must really ask myself,

If I’m better than I’ve been.

If I’m measured doing better,

As a cowboy and a hand,

I might venture an answer,

And let it fly and land.

But this is not about that,

Instead it’s living true,

To Jesus Christ our Savior,

Is there something I won’t do?

I don’t believe I’m holding,

A single issue back,

And I can say with confidence,

There’s nothing that I lack.

So let’s all get our praise on,

And sincerely say,

Lord Jesus, we do love you,

And worship, come what may.

“Be thankful in all circumstances…” (1 Thess. 5:18, NLT)

Have your circumstances argued with your sense of thankfulness? This often happens. But followers of Jesus do not take their cue from what happens to them. Rather, it’s about what’s happening in them that matters the most. This is a learned behavior however. If we are in the habit of constantly reacting to our situation, it may take awhile to break the pattern. But this is exactly what God wants us to do. We are called to rise about every circumstance and learn to praise the Lord in spite of it. This means we choose to be thankful even when our emotions rebel. It means we stay focused on Him, and don’t let what’s happening around us steal our peace and joy. Praising the Lord when we’re having trouble might be one of the most significant expressions of faith we can show. And a complaining, whining, miserable world needs to see and hear our celebration of grace. Then maybe they will want to join the party.

Lord, help us learn to live thankfully in every circumstance, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mary Ross Buchholz, maryrossbuchholz.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mary, and God bless you.