"Yesterday"

Yesterday, not long ago,

When I was feeling sad,

I think I heard the Good Lord say,

That things were not that bad.

And so I took Him at His word,

And looked around to see,

There were lots of people,

Who had it worse than me.

And so I should be thankful,

In everything give praise,

And I will tell you when I did,

My spirits took a raise.

Yesterday, not long ago,

When I was feeling good,

I thought I heard the Good Lord say,

A word that said I should,

Give Him all the glory,

And thank Him for what came,

And not forget to do so,

To glorify His name.

And so I should be thankful,

For all my blessed days,

In every good thing give Him thanks,

My mouth be filled with praise.

Yesterday, no matter what,

I heard the Good Lord say,

This life trains me for heaven,

And every single day,

If I learn that thankfulness,

Is my real identity,

Preparing me for what comes next,

For all eternity.

Truth and Spirit worship,

The lifestyle of God’s child,

Those are the ones the Father seeks,

The ones He’s reconciled.

Yesterday, not long ago,

I praised Him now and then,

But constantly the Good Lord says,

Come out from where you’ve been,

And rehearse the praise of heaven,

One day you’re going there,

And then the pow’r of heaven,

Is something you will share.

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus…” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT)

Learning to live thankfully is not always the easiest thing to do. Why? Because life can be very challenging and heart-breaking at times. However the child of God is counseled by God’s word that it is God’s will for every believer to habitually worship the Lord. If we cultivate an attitude of gratitude, we will learn to rise above our circumstances and give praise to the Lord regardless of what is happening. That’s because what is happening in us is bigger than what is happening to us. Heaven is a place of eternal praise. This life is rehearsal for that eternity.

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

Art by Keith Batcheller, used by permission. Thanks, Keith, and God bless you.