Thanking God for the Little Things

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, the apostle Paul exhorts the believers;

in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

I must confess that I more often fail to give thanks in everything. I find it much easier to complain about this or that rather than seeing the hand of providence. But what really strikes me is that giving thanks in everything implies thanking God for the little things as well. But just what are the little things? Perhaps you may be thinking about things like tap water, refrigerators, or maybe, on a hot day as it is here in Rogers, Arkansas, for air-conditioning. Maybe little things include the variety of foods available in my pantry or even the simple companionship of one of my cats sitting on my lap.

But with all that said, sometimes little things are not as little as we might think. This morning I took my wife into the dentist for her third root canal and crown in about 18 months. At least I can sympathize with the experience having gone through it personally, but while I was out in the lobby working on my laptop, trying to get some work done, my wife was sitting in the dentist chair being worked over. When she comes out from these procedures, her face looks a little beat up. There are the deep creases under her eyes where the glasses they had put on her to protect her eyes had been pressed into her skin by the working of the dentist. My wife has a particularly small mouth making it hard for her to keep it open through the procedure. So, by the end, she is tired, sore and, as I said beat up.

But in the midst of all this, what is it that my wife was thinking about? What were the thoughts that went through her mind as she underwent all this hoopla? Well, after we got home and she could talk a bit more, she made the comment as to how thankful she was for things like Novocain, jaw braces (to hold her mouth open) and a dentist that knew what he was doing. She praised God for these little things that so many in previous generations had to go without during procedures on their teeth. I am not sure, but I believe that 100 years or so ago, the dentist would have given my wife a shot of whiskey and then just pulled that tooth right out. Yes, I too give thanks for the little things that really are not so little.

O Lord, make me ever mindful of the multitude of blessings that are bestowed upon me day by day, even minute by minute. Help me to be a humble child with a thankful heart, always mindful, always contemplating the many things You do for me. May I have the heart of David saying continually, "Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done, And Your thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with You. If I would declare and speak of them, They would be too numerous to count" (Pslam 40:5).

Let me close with this hymn by Mr. Isaac Watts. In the context of what I have written today, I particularly like the second stanza (which I have bolded):

O bless the Lord, my soul!

Let all within me join,

And aid my tongue to bless His Name

Whose favors are divine.

O bless the Lord, my soul,

Nor let His mercies lie

Forgotten in unthankfulness,

And without praises die.

Tis He forgives thy sins,

Tis He relieves thy pain,

Tis He that heals thy sicknesses

And makes thee young again.

He crowns thy life with love,

When ransomed from the grave;

He that redeemed my soul from hell

Hath sovereign power to save.

He fills the poor with good,

He gives the suff'ers rest;

The Lord hath judgments for the proud,

And justice for th'oppressed.

His wondrous works and ways

He made by Moses known

But sent the world His truth and grace

By His beloved Son.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

PS - Happy Birthday to my friends (all on July 10th): Rocky Wyatt; Chris Riser and Rebekah Samuelson.