Skip to main content

Giving Thanks for God

                My wife, Sara, took up painting this past summer.  In the process, she noted that to paint something accurately you must see it differently.  She grew up on a farm and has seen thousands of dugouts and sloughs, but painting one requires a different vision.  “You have to notice things you did not notice before.  You need to see how the sun glints off the surface.  You must account for the way the reeds reflect in the water.  Seeing it is one thing, but to replicate it, you must look for the small details that make the entire picture”.
                A second look is often beneficial.  It is easy to assume that we know all that there is to know.  However, when we see past our commonly held assumptions, we find beauty that we had missed previously.
                Such is the case in Nehemiah chapter nine.  God’s people thought they knew their history.  Those stories had been passed down through the generations.  On this day, though, the leaders reminded them not only of what their forefathers had done, but of God’s history with them. 
Here are some the phrases that they used to describe God: “Forgiving… gracious... compassionate… slow to anger… abounding in love… did not abandon them… guided them… did not withhold your manna… sustained them for forty years… gave them kingdoms… made their sons as numerous as the stars in the sky… the people were well nourished and revelled in his goodness… you were patient with them” (Nehemiah 9:15-30).
That list is important because that is not the commonly held view of God.  Many believe that he is mean and demanding.  They look at the few incidents where he dealt harshly with people and assume that is his nature.  However, times of punishment came only after years of patience.  In some cases, God waited hundreds of years, hoping that his people would turn and listen to him once again. 
When we forget what God is really like, we end up using his commands in heavy-handed ways and imply that God is eager to find our faults and punish them.  When we teach the word of God while ignoring the grace and compassion of God, we end up acting in very ungodly ways.
To know what God is really like, you need to see the little, beautiful details.
Thanksgiving begins when we see the real God.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: A Path Worth Following

  Jehoram was a terrible king.  He reigned in Judah around the year 850 B.C. and he did not care about God or his people.  His first act as king was to assassinate his six brothers so that no one could challenge his authority.  He was brutal and selfish.   Therefore, when the Bible sums up his life, it says, “Jehoram… passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David” (2 Chronicles 21:20).  Did you catch that?  “To no one’s regret!”  What a terrible phrase for your tombstone. On the other hand, consider a lady named Tabitha.  She lived in the city of Joppa in the first century A.D. and we are told, “… she was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36).  She became sick and died.  This caused the community so much grief that they called Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda, to come and help them.  When Peter arrived, a crowd gathered, bringing all the robes and other clothing that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Press The Button!

  Consider This:  Press the Button! My favourite TV game show is Jeopardy.  I used to like it even more when my kids were younger, because I could easily beat them and look smart.  These days, after they have grown up and gone to university, it is much more difficult.  However, Jeopardy is still the only game show I will watch. In a book I read, a contestant who did very well on the show shared the secret to his success.  He said (and I am paraphrasing here), “You must press the button before you know the answer.  Everyone on Jeopardy is smart. Everyone knows the answer. The key to winning is to act.  You must jump in and press the button, assuming that your brain will catch up and supply the answer.  If you wait until you are sure, you will be too late!” Press the button! Too often, we hesitate, not because we do not know what to do, but because we do not want to do it.  Sometimes, we fail to act because we are not sure how the situatio...
Post a Comment
Read more