November 15, 2023

I WILL THANK YOU IN THE STRUGGLE

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens! Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling.

1 Chronicles 16:23-27 NLT

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TODAY’S THOUGHT

In this passage David brings the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel and establishes worship to surround the Ark. The Ark of the Covenant was the symbol of God’s presence with the children of Israel. God had promised to dwell in a unique way above the Mercy Seat which was on the top of the Ark. David was reestablishing worship and the recognition of the sovereignty of God over the land of Israel. In doing so David held a great celebration with music, dancing, and food. He sang a song to the Lord and this was part of that song. David is reminding the people and us, to sing to the Lord. He tells us “Proclaim the good news that He saves.” We are to “publish His glorious deeds among the nations.” We should be people of praise. We should remind ourselves and others of the wonderful things God has done for us and through us. It is easy to forget the favor of God that has been brought into our lives. I try to talk to my children and grandchildren about the miracles and blessings God has brought for us. I want them to grow up knowing that we have been blessed by the grace and mercy of God. We are not where we are because we are smarter or worked harder than others—it is God’s grace that has provided for our lives. I also want them to know of the struggles in our family life. My children and grandchildren will have struggles. I don’t want them to think they are the first and only people to struggle in their faith journey. Everyone has struggles. When we come out on the other side of the struggle, we need to remember to tell the story and praise God. Sometimes our struggles don’t end the way we had hoped. But we survived. Sometimes surviving is the victory. A wise man told me once whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Sometimes we can praise God that we are getting stronger. Take a moment today and remind yourself of some of the blessings God has brought into your life. Decide to give Him praise for those miracles and choose to tell someone else what God has done.

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TODAY’S PRAYER

Holy Spirit, I give You thanks for keeping me in the struggles of my life. Thank you for restoring my health after my back surgery. Thank you for opening doors of ministry after leaving our pastorate. Thank you for always being with me even in the tough times.

“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”