“Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” Psalm 103:1-2
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord: let the humble hear and be glad.” Psalm 34:1-2
This is a season to give thanks for the great things God is doing in our lives. In these days of preparation for the celebration of the Incarnation, we should be focused on the gifts God continually gives to us.
It is so easy to focus on the present troubles and stress. Fears bubble to the forefront like the fog rolling in from San Fransisco bay. 2020 seems to be doing a great job of being a magnifying lens of those stresses. But, as good Catholics, we shouldn’t be focused on the world. We should be singularly focused on God and giving thanks to Him Who deserves all our thanks and praise.
I highly recommend starting a Praise Journal to write the things for which your are thankful to God. This daily exercise will help recenter your heart on the good things from God in your life.
One thing more critical and important though is to simply give thanks. Start off all your prayers listed those blessings for God. Spend even just a moment to thank Him for His Gifts. Even if you are faced with a difficult trial or are standing in darkness, start with thanksgiving and praise. Orient your soul upon the Light which is God and His great blessings.
I would recommend that if you are in deep need or trial, spend longer giving thanks to God.
When my daughter relapses a few years ago, I certainly needed God’s Healing and Presence. But, even though she was laying in an ICU bed with an unknown future, when I came to God, I didn’t start with my needs. I began each prayer with praise and thanks to God for all His gifts and blessings. The darker my heart felt in fear, the more I gave Him thanks and praise. While I felt the world spinning around me, He had everything under control. I would come to God in deep need and start with thanks and praise. I would often end my prayer and find that I forgot to ask Him for my concern. I had spent the whole time just thanking Him. And, funny part, I never felt the need to go back to my needs. I sensed God knew all of my concerns and had them in His Hand already.
So give thanks! For our God is an Awesome God and truly loves to remind us of all He does for us each moment. Give thanks especially for the upcoming celebration for which we are preparing. Make this Advent one that sets Christmas morning up to be the greatest and plants a seed of thanks within our heart that will flourish for years ahead and into eternity.
Recently, our pastor said the deeper we draw upon thanks, the higher we will climb to God. He was hold a rubber band between two fingers, as he said this he “drew deeper” upon the bands and released them. Ten inches of draw resulted in ten feet of heights in its flight. Same is true of our life. It doesn’t take much thanksgiving and praise to teach high heights but imagine if we stretch just a bit further…
“O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.” Psalm 34:3