We’ve got your daily encouragement, written by Bruce Sampson.
Bible Reading:
“And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.”
1 Samuel 12:2
Word:
If you think back to the last time you were grateful, it typically falls on the last time you more or less got what you wanted. While it’s easy to be thankful for the things we ask for, it’s much harder to find gratitude in the things we aren’t looking for. When we humble ourselves we realize there’s more to be grateful for outside of just ourselves.
In the book of 1 Samuel, Israel learns this lesson when they got what they wanted. Their pride led them to plead for a king so that they might be a monarchy like all the other nations. The irony is, they already had God as their king but He wasn’t the king they were looking for.
The tragedy in this passage is that when Samuel stepped down as their judge (an authority appointed by God to lead Israel), Saul is crowned king. While Israel got what they wanted in Saul’s physical stature and military skill, their undoing was Saul’s pride and disobedience to God.
Despite the downfall of events that followed Saul’s reign, God’s faithfulness prevailed in raising up a new king after Saul that would be a king after His heart. The lineage of this new king led to the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world. Jesus causes us all to be grateful because of the life he gave for us when we least deserved it or expected it.
Gratitude means to look outside of ourselves and trust God is working out His purposes in opposing the proud but exalting the humble. When we look to God and not our own way, there is always something to be grateful for even when we aren’t looking for it.
Prayer:
Thank you God for always being there for us even when we can’t see you at work. Give me a heart of gratitude that can trust you even when things don’t work out the way I wanted. I believe your purposes always work out for the good of those who put their trust in you. Amen.
Skillwork:
Start a routine at the dinner table, before bed, or in your own journal to share, pray, or write down 3 things you are grateful for each day.
RX: 3 things you didn’t ask for or were expecting!
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