“There is always something to be thankful for…”
Over the past few months, I’ve said this phrase over and over to myself, sometimes aloud. It has helped me to look for the good in each day—even on the most difficult days!
MRI biopsy on my birthday? At least one of my favorite nurses, Cindy, was there. She has the ability to insert IV’s nearly painlessly! Van broke down? Not fun. But I was able to get to the repair shop safely before it completely died in the parking lot.
I came across an amazing truth in Jonah. I’ve often found a verse there particularly encouraging, but until this week I did not notice the context: “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.” (Jonah 2:7).
Do you know where Jonah was when he said this? Inside a whale! Even more amazing is the fact that Jonah was praying from inside the whale’s belly. (Talk about God being able to hear our prayers from literally anywhere). That whale belly was dark, dank, and smelly, yet Jonah concludes his prayer with these words (2:9)— “I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”
Jonah declares “Salvation is of the LORD,” even when he faced death by drowning before a whale swallowed him. At the moment he prayed, Jonah did not know the end of the story, but he chose to be thankful anyway!
What can you thank the Lord for this week? From first-hand experience I can assure you that even on the darkest days, there is always something to be thankful for. Breath in your lungs, a heart that is beating, sun that shines, birds that sing! And, of course, if you know the Lord, you have the greatest reason to be thankful—SALVATION and a home in heaven! May the Lord help us to count our blessings, not our burdens, today and every day.