Our Daily Bread Teens EditionSample

Read Psalm 116:1–9

1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
 he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
 I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me,
 the anguish of the grave came over me;
 I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
 “Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
 our God is full of compassion.
6 The Lord protects the unwary;
  when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
 for the Lord has been good to you.
8 For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,
 my eyes from tears,
 my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the Lord
 in the land of the living.

The Small Things

My friend phoned me the other day. She was really excited! Apart from going for doctors’ appointments, she had not been able to leave her home because she had been so ill. But one day, a friend of hers attached new speakers to her computer, which allowed her to listen to the livestream of her church’s Sunday service while recuperating at home. “Now I can go to church!” she told me happily. She couldn’t stop telling me all about God’s goodness and the “best gift” anyone could have given her.

My friend reminded me what it means to have a thankful heart. Even though she has many limitations, she’s thankful for the smallest of things—helpful family and friends, quiet moments with God, being able to worship God with the church from her own home. She has lots of stories to tell about God meeting her needs, and she talks about Him to anyone who visits or calls.

We don’t know what difficulties the writer of Psalm 116 was having. Some Bible teachers think it was probably a serious illness because he said, “The cords of death entangled me” (v. 3). But he still gave thanks to God for His protection and compassion when he was “brought low” (vv. 5–6).

When we’re feeling down, it can be hard to look up. But if we do, we can see that God has given us lots of good things in our lives, big and small. And we can learn to give Him thanks. —AC

There is always something to thank God for.

And... Action!

List 7 things you can thank God for (‘cause 7 is God’s favourite number).

More Stuff for Ya

Chopping boards and tablets

Fingers and toes

Why is it so difficult to say thank you?