I know that when our children show a thankful attitude and don’t just demand or expect everything from us we feel valued both as their parents and as people. Whereas being unthankful leads to us being demanding, selfish and often lacking peace in our life. Actually it can be quite tiresome because nobody wants that life for those they love and desire to be around and I think God is much the same.
God values it when we value, respect and acknowledge Him. He wants everyone to know His love and big heart, but we can distance and limit our awareness of His presence when we walk in unthankfulness and self-centeredness. Plus when we are unthankful we are prone to be full of the kind of mental attitudes that lead to complaining and grumbling.
“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”(Psalm 91:14)
Brother Lawrence who endeavoured to stay as close as possible to God, doing, saying, and thinking nothing that might displease Him, said he had no reason for doing this except to show his gratitude for God’s love towards him. He said, “Out of love, I try not to say, do, or think anything that might offend Him”.
An attitude of thankfulness will motivate us to dwell in His presence. It is extremely difficult for those who are ungrateful to practice living in the presence of God.
The peace and happiness people spend vast amounts of energy, time, money, seeking in relationship after relationship can be found much closer than we often realise. Many are trying so hard to find God and meaning in their lives but they are often running in the wrong direction or doing spiritual gymnastics which leaves them discouraged and bent out of shape.
The good news is that God is closer than you think!
The joy, fulfilment, and peace that so many desperately are searching for can found in making being in Jesus’ presence a priority. Not just for an hour once a week, or a few moments during our day, but endeavoring to stay aware and close to Him at all times.
When David said to the Lord, “In your presence there is fullness of joy, in your right hand are pleasures for evermore,” (Psalm 16:11), he meant that nearness to God himself is the ultimate all-satisfying experience in the universe.
I encourage you to begin to make every effort to live aware of His presence 24/7. We can learn to do this if we will spend time alone with Him; in worshipping him, thinking on His words and in cultivating attitudes such as thankfulness and gratitude.
Let’s take God at His word and choose to believe that “in His presence is fullness of joy“,
“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18-19)
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything…so that they (we) should seek God, in the hope that they(we) might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:23-31)
Prayer: Lord I thank you for all you have done; for everything you are going to do, and most of all for who you are and your love for me. Help me to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness so that I become more aware of your presence every day. In Jesus name Amen.