“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9
A friend of mine recently shared on social media a poem about thanking God. I thought it was so appropriate since this is the Thanksgiving season, but when I read it, the poem wasn’t exactly what I expected.
When I think about thanking God, I can remember so many ways He’s blessed my life. Here’s a partial list of things for which I am so thankful.
*My husband of 41 years whom I cherish more and more
*My son and daughter and their families who “keep me young”
*My friends who fill my life with joy through a shared faith
*A Bible-believing church that loves the Lord Jesus Christ
*My health that has more ups than downs
*My beautiful home that is warm and cozy
*My finances that meet my needs and then some
This list goes on and on, but nothing on my list was included in the poem I read. In fact, the flavor of this poem almost seemed like an antithesis to Thanksgiving because it focused on thanking God for all the times He has seemed to say “No” to a prayer!
As I pondered this, I realized that it equally as important to thank God for all the times He’s kept me safe from myself by not answering a prayer in the way I wanted. Sometimes the outcomes of particular situations have baffled me, and I found myself asking God why He didn’t answer in the way I thought was best. Maybe it was in regard to someone’s illness. Maybe it was to provide work for someone without a job. Maybe it was to restore a family relationship. Again, this is a list that could keep on going. I had never thought of thanking God for His divine intervention when I prayed “amiss.” I wonder how many times His hand spared me or someone for whom I prayed from something worse had my initial prayers been answered exactly as I had prayed. I needed to be reminded that God answers in ways that are best and right for me or those for whom I pray. He is ALWAYS good, and that is truly something for which to be thankful.
So this Thanksgiving, I will be thanking God for all He’s done for me, but I am also going to take some time to thank Him for what He chose not to do.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
(from “Blessed Assurance” by Fanny Crosby)
“But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.” Psalm 69:13
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The poem to which I referred is entitled “Thankful for No” by Carol Bessent Hayman (1927-2017), former Poet Laureate for Carteret County and the town of Beaufort, North Carolina.