“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His Word I hope; my soul waits for the LORD more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” Psalm 130:5-6
A waiter or waitress is the person who we depend on to wait on us in a restaurant. Often times we find ourselves waited upon, ever waiting to be waited upon, so that we might even get the idea that that’s what is to be expected. We may have become a whole nation of people who expect to be waited upon and served, like that’s one of our inherent rights.
The arrival of every 4th Thursday in November affords Americans the opportunity to stop and think of the multitude of blessings flowing to us from our gracious God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving time enables us not only to marvel at His mercy and grace toward us, but to purposefully appreciate it with the words: “Thank You.”
As we survey the Lord’s blessings for our bodies, we notice how generously the LORD God has “waited” upon us—has given us all that we need to support our bodies and life: food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a family and devoted family members; we have a good government, enjoy all kinds of good weather, along with enabling health and peace; and the like.
In the Lord’s Prayer, we call these blessings from God: “Our Daily Bread.” All of which, if we think about it, gratefully requires of us to say to our Father in heaven: “Thank You, very, very much.”
Besides those blessings bestowed on us that might be called “physical blessings,” please note also our “spiritual blessings.” Herein we find the Word, so necessary to guide us in God’s ways, to cheer us when depressed, to correct us when we need it. His “Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light to our path (Ps. 119:105).”
Among our spiritual blessings is God’s Son, sent to us by God’s great love for us: Jesus Christ, who redeemed us, purchased and won us from all sins, from eternal death, and Satan’s power, no, not with money or our good deeds, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death that we may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him now and forever… attested to and proven by His resurrection from the dead to life everlasting.
And added to Jesus Christ, is the faith we’ve been given by the Holy Spirit to believe and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the promise of new life now and forever.
For all these blessings, we wait upon the LORD God. And for these blessings, we dutifully say, “Thank You, Lord” not only on our nation’s Thanksgiving Day but every day for “The eyes of all wait upon thee, O Lord; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.” KJV Psalms 145:15-16
Each week a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This week our contributor is Reverend Dean Rudloff, pastor of Life in Christ Lutheran Church, which currently meets at the Cook County Community Center, Sunday at 9 a.m.
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