A Daily Devotion for Friday, February 27

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

1Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

I have heard some speakers online say that gratitude and anxiety can’t exist at the same time in our hearts and minds. They teach that if we are anxious, we should turn our thoughts to thankfulness, and remember all there is to be grateful for. Anxiety needs to take a back seat for gratitude. This certainly is consistent with what we read in scripture. Think how powerful our prayer becomes when we follow Paul’s direction in Philippians 4:4 when he reminds us to rejoice in the Lord. He follows with encouragement to remain “gentle”, a reminder that God is near, and then directs us to not be anxious about anything, but with thanksgiving present your requests to God. Followed by “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” The antidote for anxiety is gratitude to God for his many blessings. Some people find it helpful to list the things they are thankful for as they lie down to sleep. I may try that! It is a nice way to praise God in a direct and specific way.

Holy Lord, thank you for this reminder today to remain thankful for all of my many blessings. May I never lose sight of all you have done for me and for those I love. Amen

Becky, transforming

Pic by Kay