199 - The mind of scientists

 'But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.' ( Job 32:8, NLT)

As we entered 2021, it felt like all our hopes for any kind of return to 'normal' was pinned on the news of several new vaccines for the covid virus. 

And while it is incredible how quickly they were made, it can be easy to forget who is behind the minds of the men and women who worked to come up with these vaccinations in the first place. 

God gave man intelligence. He gave them the curiosity to try things, to keep experimenting. Think how fast medicine in particular has come within just the last century. 

Apparently scientists were working on the Oxford vaccine before the virus was officially in the UK. Who put that foresight into their minds, I wonder?

I saw in the news that they may have a vaccine for all the variants within a year. How do they work so fast? 

Now, regardless of what your thoughts are on the vaccines themselves, there are many, many things that science is responsible for. Many good things - food hygiene, cleaning products, medicines and more. 

I am certainly thankful that God put such intelligent people into our world. Because I have no idea what Bendroflumethiazide is, or what to do with it!

198 - The Sounds of Provision

And my God will supply every need of yours...(Philippians 4:19)

I was sitting at my desk working today when I heard a sound that confused me for a second before I realised it was the sound of pasta being shaken into our measuring scales by Mum. 

That got me thinking about sounds that indicate all we have and how we are provided for - sounds we take for granted. 

The gush of water from the tap. 

The beep of a microwave. 

The rumble of the boiler.

The pop of a toaster. 

The roar of a kettle. 

The whirr of a washing machine. 

I could go on, but you get the point. 

We are surrounded every day by little blessings that we take for granted and without them, lockdown would be even tougher. 

Not everyone has these things. 

May I learn to be thankful for these daily sounds of provision!

197 - Jesus brought us peace

 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

I wrote a verse a while back on how we can be thankful for peace from God - something we've needed a lot of during the current COVID-19 pandemic. 

But recently, during a time of prayer, I was struck by the fact that peace was brought for us with a price. 

Look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

"Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death..." (Matthew 26:38)

"And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground." (Luke 22:44)

Apparently, this can happen when someone is under extreme emotional stress. Because He knew what lay ahead of Him. 

"...My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?...” (Matthew 27:46)

The Son was separated from the Father. 

He experienced the worst pain and anguish possible - to be cut off from the God of peace and joy. 

He did it - so we would never be. He made a way to God - to the peace that surpasses all understanding.

He was forsaken so we could be chosen. 

He was in anguish so we could have peace.

196 - God never hurries

"God is never late and rarely early. He is always exactly right on time--His time."
Dillon Burroughs

Nearly two years later...guess who's back?

Life gets very busy and things get dropped. Thank goodness God is not like us.

I'm currently reading a devotional called 'The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry' by John Mark Comer. Very good - and I only started it today!

In the study, it is pointed out how Jesus had a busy life, yet He was not in a hurry.

It made me think about how God never hurries- and how that can be both a challenge and a blessing.

We live in a fast paced world that's always hurrying. Instant coffee. Fast food. Car horns beeping the moment the light goes green. (And don't even think about getting in someone's way!)

What does it mean, then, to follow an unhurried God in an 'instant' world?

It teaches us trust and patience when we feel like we need to know the answer now! What will happen? Will I get that job? Will this date be successful? Will these test results be clear? Will my friend ever be saved?

God never gives us the answer ahead of time. Only in His time.

We can't twist His arm. All we can do is learn to walk in step with Him, lean on Him & say 'OK God. In your time. Help me trust you until then.'

God's unhurried nature is also a blessing.

He always has time for us.

In the study mentioned above, it is pointed out how Jesus stops to speak to the woman who was bleeding internally and who was healed when she touched His robe.

He didn't have to stop. She was healed and a girl was dying. He could've carried on walking.

But she didn't. He stopped. He spoke to her - she who had been an outcast for years - and He commended her faith. He declared her healed.

Even when we struggle to make time for God, He always makes time for us.

We can be thankful that His plan is unfolding at the right place. We can be thankful He doesn't hurry because He knows the right time for everything.

And we can be thankful that in the middle of a universe He holds in perfect balance, He wants to spend time with us. To draw near and speak to us. Amazing!

195 - God using the crooked things

Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? (Ecclesiastes 7:13)

Life ain't easy.

Our family, for example, in just this month, have seen

- Broken appliances
- Faulty cars
- Ended relationships
- Jobs being made redundant
- The threat of ill health

I don't say this to moan, to say look at how hard we have it.

I say it because the verse I quoted at the top of this post was a verse I heard in a very timely sermon.

A sermon that reminded us God is sovereign and His way is best.

That reminded us He uses crooked and imperfect things in our life to work out His perfect will.

We would like life to be simple and straight-forward.

We would like to glide from one job to another without the uncertainty of unemployment.

We would like easy relationships with mutual feelings and no drama.

We would like perfection now, with no work at all.

But that's not how God works.

It's when fear tries to grip us that we learn how to pull out of its grasp and cling to the Rock who never falters, Jesus Christ.

It's when the things we lean on are whipped out from under us that we realise God will catch us even when we think we have been left without support.

And it's when the things we try to find our happiness and identity in our removed, we realise one thing is true.

We are God's children.

He will never change. So that will never change.

His ways are higher.

His methods may seem confusing. Unfair.

But when we look at His dying Son on the Cross, we can be sure.

We may not know what He is doing with the crooked things.

But He loves us.

Because His Son endured it all first.

Thank you God for using the bad to create the good.

194 - Tears

'You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?'  (Psalm 56:8)


And I'm back! First post of 2018. Whoops...

Tears may seem like a strange subject to start with on a blog all about being thankful. After all, what's good about tears? Your eyes go red and blotchy, your nose runs, your cheeks are wet and your voice is all hoarse.

Well, it's because they are a kind of release. A way of being honest.

Tears say 'No, I'm not alright. I can't pretend I'm alright anymore.'

Tears get rid of that tight ache in your chest and the overwhelming misery in your heart.

The Bible assures us that God sees and cares about each tear we shed. When we hide in the bathrooms and feel like no-one else sees or cares, He does see. And He does care. Oh, He cares so much.

He weeps with us.

But He will do more than that.

The Bible promises us that there will be a day when we shall never again cry tears of grief. God Himself will personally wipe them away.

And if we do cry again, you can bet it will be tears of laughter.

193 - Constantly amazed by Nature

'For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.' (Romans 1:20)

Isn't it amazing that the world we leave in is the same world, every day, and let there are still aspects of Nature that never fail to amaze us?

The other day, I was coming back from work. It was raining and the sun was setting. I was standing at the top of the hill we live on and see the sun's light against the rain clouds - the rays falling in beams across the horizon - the pinks and the golds. And it was beautiful.

I must have seen hundreds of sunsets in my lifetime. And I imagine I'll see many more.

And yet they never cease to amaze me with their beauty.

Why?

Maybe there's something a little different about each one. Or maybe its the was y God uses the objects He created to work in a way that reflects His glory.

Maybe its the appreciation of beauty that He put inside us. Or the recognition that Nature is a pale reflection of something better yet to come - Heaven itself. 

So admire the sun on morning dew. Stare up at the stars. And be thankful that God made a Creation that constantly amazes us!

192 - Size of the Universe

'When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?' (Psalm 8:3-4)

Apparently it's estimated that there are around 400 billion stars in our galaxy alone. Just our galaxy. 400 billion stars.

Estimates also say there are 350,000,000,000 galaxies. If all those galaxies, contain the same amount of stars as our galaxy, then that's...a lot of stars.

Planets, black holes, suns, nebula and more.

The Hubble Telescope has only captured a tiny portion of our universe.

And Earth is just a tiny blue planet among it all.

Have a look at the Pale Blue Dot picture. It says it better than I can.

So, why is the Universe so big? Why are we, as far as we know and as the Bible tells us, the only beings made in God's image in this massive space?

Maybe it was to remind us how big God is (big is putting it mildly).

Maybe it was to remind us how small we are (small is also putting it mildly)

If we ever need to put life into perspective, we can look at the Universe. 

It humbles us when we're getting too arrogant.

We can remind ourselves that the One who made this enormous and beautiful Universe is the One who also made us and loves us deeply.

It doesn't matter how small we are. The infinite God knows each of us. And He has a plan for each of us.

That's something to be very, very thankful for.

191 - Fostering

'Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy;deliver them from the hand of the wicked.' (Psalm 82:3-4)

Written in tribute to my amazing sister and brother-in-law who have recently ended their time as foster parents, due to their choice to adopt the children in their care!

Foster carers are incredible people.

There are so many children out there in desperate need of safe homes and loving families. Children who have endured things no child should have to.

Foster carers see that need and do something about it.

They take children into their homes, families and lives, sometimes risking having a very troubled young person in the house.

They endure well-meant (but sometimes annoying) remarks.

Some single foster carers raise several children alone.

And they say goodbye, over and over, as the children they've protected and loved move on to new homes.

Were it not for fosters, there would be many more needy children in the world today.

Thank you God for the kindness, sacrifice and love of foster carers.

190 - Responding to Tragedy

' For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
(Matthew 25:31-46)

It sometimes feels these days like you wake up every morning and there's a new tragedy on the news.

The Manchester Bombing.

The two terrorist attacks in London.

The Grenfell tower fire.

We live in a broken world and we see evidence of that everyday.

But, we also see the incredible ways many respond to tragedy.

The supplies and donations contributed by thousands.

The celebrities who hold concerts and record songs to raise more money.

The fire-fighters and the NHS who saved so many lives.

For these people who respond to tragedy in the right way...For these people who reflect the compassion of Christ, whether they know it or not...For the God who is with us in tragedy...For the promised future when death and suffering will be no more...

For this, we can be very, very thankful.

189 - Working with a good team

'Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.' (Proverbs 27:17)

I've been in my current job for nearly a year now. During that time, I've seen my team change a lot. Some have left and some have joined.

And I realised recently that the team I work with at the moment - I am happy working with them. We chat easily. They make me laugh and I make them laugh. We help each other out.

It's a gift of God to have a good team to work with. I know in some jobs, there would be people who annoy you, or who you don't get on with.

A good team makes it easier to go to work.

A good team is easier to work with.

Thank you God for the times you give us pleasant colleagues in our jobs.

May we glorify You to them!

188 - A Cup of Tea

OK, so I know not everyone likes tea. I've only been drinking it for just over a year.

But writing personally, I am thankful for the invention of a nice cup of tea.

It warms you up on the inside and the outside. (And I get cold really easily so this is extra appreciated.)

It wakes you up when you're tired. (Especially good when you're on an early shift)

And yes - I dunk my biscuits!

Thank you God for the simple pleasures - like a cup of tea.

187 - The Bread of Life.

They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." (John 6:34-35)

I have to confess I am borrowing a lot of today's post of today's reading on the She Reads Truth website.

And the point I take from it is this -we can be thankful we have the Bread of Life that last forever and is all we need.

Andrea Lucado points out that just like the crowd in the Bible, we demand 'bread' from Jesus - temporary things that we think will satisfy us. To them, it's food. To us it's money, a job, relationships, possessions...

And we never stop to think that we're asking this from Jesus. Jesus. Who provides all our needs. Who loves us more than any other. Who died so we could live.

Earthly bread goes stale and mouldy. Our 'bread', our idols...they're spent. Lost. Ended. Broken. We get fired. Let down. Hurt. Disappointed.

Jesus will never do that. He will never die. He will never break His word. He will never, ever stop loving us.

Put all your needs and cares in His hands.

And be thankful that you have the most precious gift in the world - the Bread of Life!

186 - Peace

'Now the God of peace be with you all.' (Romans 15:33)

I haven't written in here for a loooong time.

As most of you reading this probably know, I recently lost my brother.

You can't imagine loss till you go through it. Even now, grief is hard to describe. The shock, the tears, the empty hollow feeling that stays with you day after day...

And yet..

Through it all, we can testify that God has shown His goodness to us in many ways.

One of those ways is peace and certainty.

Peace that He is in control.

That He knows best.

That we will see my brother again in Heaven.

That Death is not the end - because the Prince of Peace shed His blood for us.

Thank you God for peace in the storms.

185 - Being able to help others in trials.

'...weep with those who weep...' (Romans 12:15)

Suffering is not pleasant - to put it mildly. It was never intended to be part of life.

But God, sovereign, marvellous, amazing, whose ways are higher than ours, is able to take our sufferings and use them for good. 

So that the man who overspent and got into debt when he was young could advise his son later in life and stop him from making the same mistake. 

So that the mother who lost her child could comfort her friend who just suffered a miscarriage.

There are other ways He can use trials for good, but being able to help others is just one of them. 

I've personally experienced this and it doesn't take away the pain of suffering... but it helps. 

Thank you God for the times we can help and empathise with others. 

184 - Saying sorry first

'So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.' (Matt 5:23-24)

Arguments are horrible, and they can leave both sides feeling angry, bitter...and self-righteous. Both feel they're in the right and that it was all the other person's fault.

I speak from experience of course. I'm sad to say I've often been that proud person.

But what is amazing is when the Holy Spirit reaches past that coldness and touches your heart. When He shows you that it takes two to fight. That even if the other person might have started it, you carried it on.

You're both guilty. But God made sure you could both be forgiven.

We can be thankful when the Holy Spirit reminds us of this truth. And thankful when He gives us the power to do one of the hardest things - say sorry first. Swallowing our pride, going out to seek that person, apologising (genuinely, not just a "Sorry if I made you angry...") and not being sure how they'll react. Not everyone says "I'm sorry too" or "That's OK."

But we can be thankful to God that, either way, He helped us do the right thing.

And that He always forgives, even if humans don't.

183 - Daily grace.

'...His mercies...are new every morning...' (Lamentations 3: 22-23)

A few weeks ago I was rather morbidly reflecting on how I could pinpoint some of the ways I messed up as a Christian, day by day. 

On the Sunday, I was jealous. 

On the Monday, I was bitter and angry with someone.

On the Tuesday, I was a coward and lost a chance to get to know someone better at work. 

BUT...

God does not look at my failures. He looks back about 2000 years to the day His Son bled on a cross. 

Hear Him whisper:

'This drop of blood is for her jealousy...this for her bitterness...this for her fear...'

He died for each sin before I was even born. I can be forgiven the second after I mess up. 

Thank goodness it doesn't depend on me!

Thank you God that your grace never runs out. Thank you that my sin can never exceed your forgiveness. Thank you for mercies anew!

182 - The paradoxes of Christ

'...For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.' (Colossians  1: 19-20)

Consider Christ.

We couldn't have made Him up.

Man and God.

King of the Universe, born in a manager among animals.

He who walked among the angels kept company with tax collectors, sinners and a bunch of fishermen who must've been some of the most irritating men in Galilee

He fed 5000 people with a few loaves and fish, yet He refused the temptation to turn rocks into bread.

He held little children in His arms and chased grown men out the temple with a whip.

A King who came not to be served, but to serve.

He could command legions of angels - and yet He died at the hands of men.

He died and lives.

Merciful, He gives men the chance to repent - and one day He will be a stern Judge on those who refuse.

Thank you God for Jesus Christ, your son. Thank you for our King beyond imagination!

181 - When bad dreams are just dreams

This might seem a small thing to you, but some dreams can be genuinely horrible.

They range from minor worries - being late for work - to larger worries - bank card getting stolen - to the deepest terrors we have - the loss of loved ones.

Someone once told me that dreams are a manifestation of our fears - which proves I have quite a lot.

Anyway, the relief that comes from waking up is a pretty great feeling.

I think we can be thankful that bad dreams are just dreams, because they're a reminder that sometimes we can make our fears too big - and that with God in charge, all our fears can be as fleeting as a bad dream.

Because who's going to care about bank cards a few years into eternity?

180 - Finishing a Project.

'So he built the house and finished it...' (1 Kings 6:9)

When we were made in the image of God, part of His character that He put into us, was our ability to create. 

But not just this. To complete.

There is a sense of satisfaction that comes from finishing a project, standing back and taking pleasure in the result of your hard work. 

Baking a cake. 

Putting up some shelves. 

Completing an essay. 

The list could go on. 

My current project - a completed first draft of my novel! Quite excited. (Now editing starts...)

Of course, often we don't feel complete satisfaction. We can sometimes think there's room for improvement. But we can be grateful still. Grateful God gave us the ability to learn, to keep on getting better. 

Thank you God for making us creative - for the satisfaction of completing something. 

Thank you that one day, your Creation will be perfect and complete - as you intended it to be.