Since I Met You: A Five-Day Devotional With Jamie KimmettÀpẹrẹ

DAY 4 - Thankful and Overflowing

What if there was a song so transforming it could unite a thousand hearts to go to battle for their king?! A melody, a sound so irresistible to all who encounter it that even our enemies would have to retreat or surrender? The Bible tells us there is such a song; the song of thankfulness. Thanksgiving is such a mighty weapon that even Abraham Lincoln made a national holiday of it! And the same method is also prescribed by our fathers in the faith, from David to Paul, God’s servants implore us to overflow with thanks - “speak to one another with spiritual songs, psalms, and prayers” ready to praise our redeemer! 

Are there times we would rather not sing or speak at all? Of course! But that’s when our worship is even more beautiful to the Lord, friends - when it costs us! It’s in the suffering that our thankful hearts are especially meaningful to our Heavenly Father. Like David in the cave of Adullam, Job from the ashes, Hannah in bareness, or Paul in prison, we, too, can raise a hallelujah! 

A happy Christian is a grateful Christian! And such gratitude flows in streams when we remember what Jesus has done for us and as we rightly acknowledge that we are such undeserving recipients of His grace! Since I met Jesus, I’ve noticed that being around thankful believers makes me want to live and speak gratefully! Now there's a pandemic worthy of spreading! And, most importantly, it gives God the glory when His church is happy and overflowing. 

Yes! The devil shudders and his demons flee when the people of God begin to live in thankful praise! For when even his best attempts to discourage us and derail the plans of Yahweh send us into praise it is not a small blow to his schemes! For years, before I knew Jesus, I would marvel at the sunset and the coastal beauty of Scotland - I sat there moved and inspired but the saddest part was, I had no one to thank… I was full of gratitude but didn’t know the One who made it all. Friends, let’s rejoice and give thanks for this is the day that the Lord has made. 

"Got a brand-new song playing in my soul, heart so full that it overflows”