Psalm 136:1-3

There are many reasons to give thanks to the Lord, as we will discover in this particular psalm. He is good! There is nothing in Him that is bad, and His love is indeed unfailing. As James tells us:

“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/jas.1.17.NLT

If it’s not good, it’s not God. Often, people get upset with God because of their circumstances. Is He all-powerful? Yes! Are there things in our life He could prevent? Yes! He is the God of gods and the Lord of Lords. Yet sometimes, we wrestle in prisons of our own making. Proverbs tells us:

“People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.19.3.NLT

Our lives are the sum total of all the choices we have made to this point.  Has God been a consideration in our plans, or do we simply make plans and then ask Him to bless them? Remember, there is our plan, and then there is His. His plan for our lives is provided for—ours, not so much.

Proverbs has much to say on this subject:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.3.5-6.NLT

“Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.16.3.NLT

At times, grandparents or parents will leave their children an inheritance in the form of a trust with specific instructions and parameters. Often, the funds can only be used for what they deemed important—things like education, the purchase of a home, or health needs. This is to ensure that the money is not wasted or spent frivolously. Is God so different?

There are unlimited blessings in God’s realm, yet He reserves the right release those blessings to those whomever He wills for His purposes, not ours. As I have said before, God is not obligated to finance our plans, but His plans are already funded. Kinda makes you want to figure out what His plans are—and that’s the point!

None of us follow God perfectly except Jesus; however, we should make it our aim to invite God into our circumstances and our plans if we hope to experience success. This may be a difficult concept for some, but we live for His pleasure, not our own. Thank God He is not a tyrant like the devil, whom some people acknowledge as their god—little “g”. As this psalm states, God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords. Yet He is a good God, who not only knows, but desires what is best for us.

Is that a reason to give thanks? Absolutely!

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