Today's Daily Reflection: Thanks for God's Love and Wonders<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thanks for God\u2019s Love and Wonders Psalm 107:1-43 Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. Psalm\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markdroberts\/2011\/11\/21\/todays-daily-reflection-thanks-for-gods-love-and-wonders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Today's Daily Reflection: Thanks for God's Love and Wonders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thanks for God\u2019s Love and Wonders Psalm 107:1-43 Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 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This coming Thursday, residents of the United States will stop as a nation for Thanksgiving Day. It is a day for us to express our gratitude to God for his many blessings. At least that\u2019s the idea. But, for many of us, Thanksgiving Day is filled with activities besides pausing to give thanks to God. Some of us spend the better part of the day cooking. Others spend the better part of the day eating what has been cooked. Millions of Americans fill Thanksgiving Day with television watching, beginning with the Macy\u2019s Parade in New York City before a segue into football. When you add travel and gathering with relatives, Thanksgiving Day can become crowded with everything but actual thanksgiving. Sometimes all God gets from us is a short prayer before we dig into the turkey.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not really complaining about our Thanksgiving Day traditions. I love a turkey dinner with pumpkin pie more than just about anyone I know. But I also think it\u2019s good for us to take time for intentional, extended thanksgiving to God. God deserves it. And our souls need it. When I was pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, I encouraged folks to recognize a season of thanksgiving, rather than just a day. I\u2019d encourage you to do the same. My guess is that you might have more time to pause for genuine thanksgiving today or tomorrow, rather than on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Psalm 107 encourages us to be grateful right from verse 1: \u201cGive thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.\u201d The rest of the psalm elaborates on God\u2019s goodness with specific examples. For example, verses 4-7 depict the Lord as rescuing those who were lost, bringing them to a place of safety. Verse 8 sums up: \u201cLet them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.\u201d This verse serves as a refrain throughout Psalm 107, as it is repeated three more times (107:15, 21, 31).<\/p>\n

When we stop to consider God\u2019s love for us and how that love has been expressed in the wonderful things he has done for us, we will naturally offer thanks and praise to God. So, may I encourage you to begin your thanksgiving today. Think of God\u2019s love for you and his goodness in your life\u2026and give thanks!<\/p>\n

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION<\/strong>: Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions that help you offer thanks to God? When, in the next couple of days, could you set aside an hour for intentional thanksgiving? How have you experienced God\u2019s love recently?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

PRAYER<\/strong>: Gracious God, I am thankful that my country sets aside a whole day for thanksgiving. But I am aware of how easy it is to fill this day with so many other things besides giving thanks to you. Forgive me, Lord, when my Thanksgiving has very little thanks in it.\u00a0 Amen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

P.S. <\/strong>This reflection is one of my Daily Reflections, which appear on The High Calling<\/a> website and are emailed each morning to more than 16,000 people. If you would like to receive the Daily Reflections, please visit The High Calling<\/a> and sign up.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"