Thoughts for the Day

O sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvellous things.....
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
Let the floods clap their hands;
let the hills sing together for joy
 at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Over the last few weeks in the UK many of us have congratulated children or grandchildren for their achievements in their exams, praising them for all they had done over the past few years. Even whens they have not quite done as well as they expected we have supported them and guided them to different jobs or colleges. It's also second nature for most of us to praise children from the moment they begin to walk or take up sport or achieve some other goal in life.

Now let's compare this to something else. For many years Christians have prayed both at home and at church, asking God to intervene and help improve different situations in their life and in the world. When my children were small I remember we prayed for starving children in Ethiopia, then Apartheid in South Africa, then for the Berlin wall to be removed, and peace in Ireland. Much more recently we have all been praying for peace in Ukraine, help to avert climate change, and special prayers for those caught up in floods and wild fires. Thousands of us have prayed, sometimes for years, asking for God's help, while realising that we must also be the catalysts for change.

My question today is: How much time do we give to praising God, rather than asking for something? Psalm 98 calls us to sing a new song to God, to praise Him for all that He has done for us. Perhaps we should just count our blessings once again! I wonder if anyone can come up with 30 or more blessings?

Lord God,
Who designed and planned
our wonderful world,
and who gave us what we need
for life on this planet.
We praise You for all
that You have given us -
for the intricacy of shape and colour;
for the beauty of nature;
for the harmony of sound;
for rain, sun and wind;
for the feeling of love;
and for all that Your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ
gave to us.
Amen.