Devotion: Thankfulness & Confidence
Please take the time to read Psalm 136:1, 23-26
“Supper’s ready. Go call your dad and brother.”
I was the designated dinner bell on our farm and sometimes they were quite a distance away. It was customary for our family to bow our heads in prayer before and after a meal. At the start of the meal we would pray the familiar Lutheran prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blest.” After the meal and when Dad was ready, we again folded our hands, bowed our heads and prayed, “Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, His steadfast love endures forever.” As a young child, that was my ticket to leave the table and go play. A few years later, it was my signal to clear the table and help wash dishes.
I didn’t understand at that time the magnitude of the words “steadfast” and “endures” but as I grew in years it was comforting and reassuring that God’s love was constant and lasting. I could meet my teen years with confidence that God’s love was unending and that it would always be with me to eternity.
As the years go by and challenges come, I can face adversity because I am never separated from His loving presence. His great love is longer, wider, deeper, higher than I can ever imagine.
In Pastor’s Greg’s sermon last Sunday, he stressed that we can have confidence because of God’s presence in the world. God has faith in us and he is for us. In Romans, Paul writes, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
God has done a work in us. When we have a heart of gratitude with thankfulness to God for His enduring love we can be assured that He is working on our behalf. Are we growing confidently in God’s love and grace? Are we nourishing a heart of gratitude for that confidence?
Dear Loving Father, Thank you for boosting my confidence that you are always with me. Grow my faith in your loving presence and the assurance of your steadfastness throughout the ages. Create in me a heart of gratitude for God’s work in me. Amen
Written by Janece Nelson
Janece and husband, Mike, have been members of Sheridan for more than twelve years. Janece is a retired mathematics instructor teaching at the middle school and college level. They are blessed with two children and three grandchildren. Janece finds her greatest joy in spending time with her family and friends. Her passion is writing devotions for patients in hospitals and rehabs she sees every Monday as a Sheridan hospital visitor. As a Teammate she also mentors girls at Boys Town. Janece credits Faith Builders and Companions in Christ for her spiritual growth.