Key Scriptures: Psalm 28:7; Psalm 103:1–5
There are moments when God’s goodness seems to be displayed right before our eyes.
Stand quietly and watch the sun rise over the horizon. Look at the changing colors of the sky as another day begins. Or stop what you are doing at the end of the day and watch a beautiful sunset. Listen to the birds singing. Feel the warmth of the sun or the coolness of an evening breeze.
These are ordinary things.
Yet, when we stop long enough to notice them, they become extraordinary reminders of the goodness of God.
So much of life can pass us by because we are thinking about what we still need to do, worrying about tomorrow, remembering yesterday, or focusing on something we wish were different.
But every now and then, it is good simply to stop.
Look around and remember.
Remember what God has done.
Remember what He has given you.
Remember how many prayers He has answered, how many difficult days He has carried you through, and how many blessings have quietly become part of your everyday life.
Then say with David:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me; bless His holy name.”
That is the beginning of Psalm 103, one of the most beautiful expressions of gratitude in the Bible.
And perhaps there is something especially important in David’s next instruction to his own soul:
“Forget not all His benefits.”
Sometimes our problem is not that God has failed to bless us.
Our problem is that we have forgotten how blessed we already are.
When You Count Your Blessings, You Discover How Rich You Are
Take a moment and think about what you have.
Not what you don’t have.
Not what someone else has.
Not what you once had.
Not what you hope to have one day.
What has God given you today?
If you can see, be thankful for your eyes.
You can look at the face of someone you love. You can see a sunrise, watch clouds moving across the sky, admire flowers growing in a garden, read your Bible, and marvel at the beauty of God’s creation.
If you can hear, be thankful for your ears.
You can hear birds singing in the morning. You can hear music. You can hear laughter. You can hear the voices of your children or grandchildren. You can hear someone say, “I love you.”
These things are easy to take for granted.
Until they are gone.
I think about my own family.
I am grateful for a wife who loves me and is faithful to me. I am grateful for my children and grandchildren and for the love we share.
These are not small blessings.
They are treasures.
As we grow older, I think we begin to understand this more clearly. The things that once seemed so important can slowly lose their importance.
Possessions come and go.
Cars get old.
Homes need repairs.
Careers eventually end.
Money is useful and necessary, but money cannot sit beside you when you are lonely. It cannot love you. It cannot replace a family. It cannot purchase another yesterday.
And it certainly cannot buy peace with God.
The older I become, the more I realize that some of life’s greatest riches cannot be measured in money at all.
Love.
Family.
Friendship.
Faith.
Peace.
Hope.
And the knowledge that we belong to Jesus Christ.
These are riches indeed.
Forget Not All His Benefits
Psalm 103 gives us an extraordinary list of God’s benefits.
David tells his soul not to forget the One:
Who forgives.
Who heals.
Who redeems.
Who crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
Who satisfies us with good things.
Who renews our youth like the eagle’s.
What a list!
We could spend a lifetime thinking about these blessings.
He Forgives
Perhaps the greatest blessing of all is forgiveness.
Every one of us has things in our past that we wish we could change.
We have said things we should not have said.
We have made poor decisions.
We have hurt people.
We have disappointed God.
There may even be things we carry quietly in our hearts that nobody else knows about.
But the Gospel tells us that forgiveness is available through Jesus Christ.
What an incredible gift.
God does not tell us that we must somehow repair our past before we can come to Him. He invites us to come to Christ, confess our sins, receive His grace, and walk in newness of life.
That alone is reason enough to say:
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
He Heals
Psalm 103 also reminds us that God is our healer.
As we grow older, health becomes something we appreciate in a different way.
When we were young, many of us assumed our bodies would simply keep working. We could work long hours, sleep too little, get up the next morning and carry on.
After 50, our bodies sometimes remind us that we are not 25 anymore!
A pain here. A stiff joint there. Another doctor’s appointment. Another friend facing an illness. Perhaps a health challenge of our own.
We become more aware of life’s fragility.
Yet we can still thank God.
We thank Him for the health we have today.
We thank Him for doctors and medicine.
We thank Him for recovery.
We thank Him for strength when strength returns.
And above all, we know that our ultimate hope is not in a body that never grows old.
Our ultimate hope is in Christ.
He Redeems Your Life
David says that God redeems your life from destruction.
How many times has God protected us without our even knowing it?
Think about your life.
There may have been an accident that almost happened.
A decision that could have turned out very differently.
A relationship God protected you from.
A financial disaster you somehow survived.
A door that closed which you desperately wanted to remain open, only for you to realize years later that God had something different for you.
Sometimes we recognize God’s protection immediately.
Sometimes we understand it only much later.
And there may be countless occasions when we will never know what God protected us from.
We see only a tiny part of the picture.
God sees the whole journey.
That is why gratitude and trust belong together.
The Peace Money Cannot Buy
One of the greatest blessings I have is peace in my heart.
Not because everything in life is perfect.
It isn’t.
Not because there will be no challenges tomorrow.
There will be.
My peace comes from knowing where my hope lies.
Jesus is my Savior.
My life belongs to Him.
My name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
And when my earthly journey is eventually finished, eternity awaits.
Think about that for a moment.
If you belong to Jesus Christ, your greatest hope is not behind you.
It is still ahead of you.
That changes the way we think about growing older.
The world often treats aging as though it is simply a process of losing things.
Losing youth.
Losing strength.
Losing opportunities.
Eventually losing independence.
But Christians have another perspective.
Yes, our outward bodies grow older. Yes, life changes. Yes, there are losses along the way.
But we are also moving closer to eternity.
Every year brings us closer to seeing the One in whom we have placed our faith.
That does not make us eager to leave the people we love or indifferent to the life God has given us. Quite the opposite.
It gives us a reason to treasure today.
Today is God’s gift.
So enjoy it.
Love your family.
Do the work God has placed before you.
Laugh.
Pray.
Help someone.
Watch the sunset.
Listen to the birds.
And thank God that you are here to experience another day of His grace.
Gratitude Does Not Mean Life Is Easy
There is an important distinction we need to make.
Having a grateful heart does not mean pretending that everything is wonderful when it isn’t.
The Bible never asks us to deny reality.
Christians experience grief.
We experience disappointment.
We face financial worries.
We lose people we love.
We experience sickness.
Families sometimes struggle.
Plans fail.
Prayers sometimes seem unanswered.
There are seasons when the road ahead looks uncertain.
Gratitude does not mean saying that painful things are good.
It means believing that God remains good even when circumstances are difficult.
That is a very different kind of faith.
We can grieve and still trust.
We can hurt and still worship.
We can be uncertain about tomorrow and still thank God for today.
We can say, “Lord, I don’t understand what is happening, but I know You have not abandoned me.”
That is why Scripture tells us to give thanks in everything.
Our thanksgiving is not based entirely on circumstances.
It is based on the character of God.
What Are You Looking At?
There is another lesson here that has become increasingly important to me.
What we continually focus on affects us.
Two people can wake up on exactly the same morning.
One looks outside and sees a miserable, cloudy day.
The other notices that the garden desperately needed the rain.
One sees everything that is wrong.
The other still recognizes what is good.
This does not mean we become unrealistically positive or ignore serious problems.
But we do have a choice about what occupies our thoughts.
If I spend every day thinking only about what I don’t have, I will always feel poor.
If I constantly compare myself with others, there will always be someone who appears to have more.
A bigger house.
More money.
Better health.
A more successful family.
A more exciting retirement.
But comparison is a thief.
It can steal the joy from blessings that are already sitting right in front of us.
Instead, perhaps we should ask:
What has God given me?
Suddenly the list becomes much longer.
A bed to sleep in.
Food to eat.
Someone who cares.
A Bible to read.
A church or Christian community.
A phone call from a friend.
Children.
Grandchildren.
Memories.
Another morning.
Another opportunity to pray.
Another chance to encourage someone.
Another day to walk with Jesus.
When we start counting our blessings, we often discover that we have far more than we thought.
A Grateful Heart Changes the Atmosphere Around You
Gratitude doesn’t only change us.
It affects the people around us.
Most of us know what it feels like to spend time with someone who complains constantly.
Nothing is ever right.
The weather is bad.
The government is wrong.
The neighbors are wrong.
The family is wrong.
The restaurant is terrible.
The world is wrong.
After a while, that negativity becomes exhausting.
But grateful people have a different effect.
They bring encouragement.
They notice what is good.
They say thank you.
They make other people feel appreciated.
They can acknowledge a problem without allowing that problem to define the entire day.
There is an old saying that every cloud has a silver lining.
As Christians, our hope goes deeper than that.
We know that clouds do come.
But we also know that the sun has not ceased to exist simply because we cannot see it.
In the same way, there will be seasons when God’s hand is difficult to see.
But God has not disappeared.
The clouds will eventually move.
The sun will shine again.
And even while we wait, God remains faithful.
Enjoy the Work of Your Hands
I believe there is something pleasing to God when we genuinely enjoy the good things He has given us.
Sometimes Christians can become so focused on the next life that we forget God also gave us this one.
Creation is His.
The sunrise is His.
The birds are His.
The ability to work is His gift.
Our talents come from Him.
He entrusts our families to us.
There is nothing unspiritual about enjoying these blessings with gratitude.
Work in your garden.
Build something.
Write something.
Cook a meal for your family.
Take your grandchildren for a walk.
Travel if you are able.
Sit quietly with your husband or wife and enjoy a cup of coffee.
Watch the sunset.
Use the gifts God has given you.
Enjoy the work of your hands.
And then remember where every good gift ultimately came from.
Gratitude turns ordinary experiences into worship.
A meal becomes an opportunity to thank God.
A walk becomes an opportunity to admire His creation.
Time with family becomes a reminder of His goodness.
Another birthday becomes not merely evidence that we are getting older, but evidence that God has given us another year.
Trusting God for What Still Lies Ahead
None of us knows exactly what lies ahead.
That becomes increasingly obvious as we grow older.
There will be challenges.
There may be unexpected changes.
Some doors will close.
Others may open.
Our plans may change.
But we do not walk into the future alone.
Psalm 9:10 says:
“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”
Notice the connection.
We trust God because we know Him.
Trust is not merely trying to convince ourselves that everything will work out exactly as we want.
Christian trust says:
I know the One who walks with me.
I know His character.
I know His promises.
I remember His faithfulness.
And because He has been faithful before, I can trust Him with what comes next.
That is another reason remembering our blessings is so important.
Gratitude looks backward and remembers God’s faithfulness.
Faith looks forward and says:
The God who carried me then will still be God tomorrow.
Bless the Lord, O My Soul
There is something fascinating about Psalm 103.
David is talking to himself.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul.”
It is almost as though he is commanding his own heart:
Remember!
Do not forget what God has done.
Praise Him.
Thank Him.
Perhaps we need to do the same.
There are mornings when gratitude comes naturally.
And there are mornings when we may have to remind ourselves.
Soul, remember God’s goodness.
Remember His forgiveness.
Remember His mercy.
Remember His protection.
Remember His provision.
Remember His promises.
Remember Jesus.
Remember the cross.
Remember that you belong to Him.
Remember where your journey ends.
Then praise Him.
Maybe today you are going through a wonderful season of life.
Thank God.
Maybe today is difficult.
Thank Him for the blessings that remain and trust Him with the things you cannot control.
Maybe you are looking back over many decades and wondering where the years went.
Thank Him for the journey.
Maybe you are concerned about the future.
Place it in His hands.
And tomorrow morning, if God gives you another sunrise, take a moment to look at it.
Really look.
Listen to the birds.
Think about the people you love.
Think about everything God has carried you through.
Think about the forgiveness you have received through Jesus Christ.
Think about the promise of eternity.
Then perhaps you will find yourself saying:
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
For He is a good God.
His mercy has carried us this far.
His lovingkindness surrounds us today.
And His faithfulness will accompany us into whatever tomorrow may bring.
So while we have breath, let us praise Him.
While we have today, let us enjoy His gifts.
While we have people to love, let us love them well.
And while there is still work for our hands to do, let us do it with joy.
There will be challenges ahead. We know that.
But we can face them differently when our hearts are filled with gratitude.
Count your blessings instead of continually counting what you lack.
Remember God’s faithfulness instead of continually fearing what may happen.
Enjoy today’s gifts instead of allowing tomorrow’s worries to steal them.
And above all:
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
A Prayer for a Grateful Heart
Dear Lord,
You have blessed me with so much.
Forgive me for the times when I focus more on what I don’t have than on everything You have already given me.
Help me to have a grateful heart.
Open my eyes to the blessings I so easily overlook—the beauty of Your creation, the people who love me, the daily provision I take for granted, and the countless ways You have guided and protected me throughout my life.
Thank You for Your forgiveness.
Thank You for Your healing and sustaining grace.
Thank You for redeeming my life.
Thank You for crowning me with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
Thank You for satisfying me with good things.
Most of all, thank You for Jesus.
Thank You that my hope is not limited to this earthly life, but that through Christ I have the promise of eternal life with You.
When challenges come, help me to trust You.
When I am tempted to complain, remind me of Your blessings.
When I worry about tomorrow, remind me of Your faithfulness yesterday and Your presence today.
Teach me to give thanks in every circumstance and to enjoy the life You have given me.
May my words, my attitude, my work, and the way I treat others reflect a heart that knows how good You have been to me.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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