Thankful to the Giver of Life
"Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. You are the LORD God."1
I've lived in Southern California my entire life and have experienced earthquakes which have shaken the land fiercely. I've seen the results of ravaging fires that have destroyed countless homes, riots that have destroyed properties and caused harm to our neighbors, and floods and mud slides that have also caused great losses.
In addition, we have also experienced droughts. However, what amazes me is that we continue to have enough water to meet the basic needs of more than twenty three million people! Where does all this water come from? Most of the water comes from the most marvelous water storage system ever created, and it's not just from the many man-made dams and reservoirs, as wonderful and as necessary as these are. It's from the snow that stores water for many months of the year and releases it basically as it is needed. If it weren't for the magnificent mountains and the amazing supply of snow, Southern California would still be little more than a desert.
Many people complain about rainy days when we get good rains in such a dry and thirsty land—rains that fill up the rivers, dams, and reservoirs and store billions of gallons of water in the form of snow over thousands of square miles of rugged mountains—rains that keep us alive! Rain is truly a blessing from God.
If God were to turn off His water supply, or hide the sun, we would not last long! As the
Levites said, truly God gives life to everything. Let us be careful not to take God's goodness and provision for granted. Let us worship and praise the Giver of Life today!
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for all the incredible blessings you provide consistently. May I always be thankful and recognize the many gifts you so freely give. Help my attitude of gratitude be an example to others, so that they, too, will come to know our Creator. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus' name, amen."
1. Nehemiah 9:5-7 (NIV).
Today's Encounter was written by: Crystal B.
All articles on this website are written by
Richard (Dick) Innes unless otherwise stated.