Giving Thanks!

“Then will I go in to the altar of God, the God of my gladness and joy;

Then I will give thanks upon the harp, O God, my God!” Psalm 43:4

It is easy to give thanks and praise to God when everything is all going well. It is more challenging when we feel everything is caving in on us. 

How can we think God is good if He allows us to undergo so much pain? My 95 year old aunt died in the hospital a few days ago. We just brought her for pneumonia in one of her lungs but it quickly progressed to sepsis. She had to undergo many tests, and she was unhappy about all the tubes and the BiPap oxygen concentrator. The last straw was when the doctor wanted to insert a nasogastric tube through her nose to feed her. She just refused it even if the doctor said she absolutely needed it to get better. 

I personally think all of life is a journey with God asking us along the way, “Do you trust me?", “Do you believe what I said to you in the letter I wrote to you, the Bible?", “Do you follow my instructions which are ALL for your good?"

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERY situation, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will GUARD your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."Philippians 4:4-7

This is what God says we should do if we want His peace! Easy to do? No!!!

It goes against every natural law, but God's ways are different from ours, His economies are different, His thinking is different! BUT He made us, He loves us and He gave us our instruction manual. If we want to live the way He intended us to, we need to read it and follow it. 

I am sure my auntie Cora is with the Lord already. She is in a much better place after a life of loving the Lord, trusting Him and thanking Him for His goodness!