Invisible Blessings

“Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. But one Sunday morning, the weather was so dank and gloomy that the church members said among themselves, “Certainly the preacher won’t think of anything to thank the Lord for on such a wretched day.” Much to their surprise, however, Whyte stepped to the pulpit that dreary morning and began by praying, “We thank Thee, Lord, that it is not always like this.”

How are you on the scale of how grateful you are as a person? Do you score way up high or are you failing miserably when it comes to remembering to give thanks to God on a regular basis? For the good and the bad.

I’ve been doing some study today on this subject of true Christian gratitude for our next Ladies Bible Study and it has me thinking about how many blessings we experience without even realising it. It also has me feeling convicted for my lack of thankfulness.

Did you know there are invisible blessings? There are blessings that only show themselves by not showing up.

What do I mean by that?

Think about it. How many kilometres has your car gone without getting a flat tyre? How many years have you driven without being in an accident? What about that big tree in the front yard that has never dropped a damaging branch onto your house or car? Or maybe a very scary medical condition that you have never had to face, although you know many personally who have. Or maybe it’s God’s hand of protection over you when you didn’t even realise you were in danger.

These are blessings hiding in plain sight.

We have so many blessings showered upon us that we can’t even see or imagine. The goodness of God is so abundant.

1 Corinthians 2:9 - But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

God has done so much for us, and he blesses us every day. Whether they are evident or not, they are there. We can’t even fathom the depths of God’s love for us and the things he has prepared for us and saved us from.

Often times the reason we don’t see the blessing is because we are too focused on the burden. We have chosen to dwell on all the negative things we see in our lives, letting them sit at the forefront of our minds, when if we changed our view and looked at things from a different perspective, a heavenly perspective, with gratefulness in our hearts, our eyes would be opened, and the blessings would be revealed.

God wants to grow a thankful spirit in the heart of every person. He longs for us to remember that he is the giver of all things and the very breath we breathe, comes from him.

In order to recognize what God gives, we have to have our heart open and alert. We need to be on the lookout for blessings. Make it a treasure hunt. Purpose in your heart to take time each day to express your thankfulness to God. Whether you physically write a list or verbally say it out loud, it’s a good habit to get into. Then pray over this list, thanking God for each and every one.

Start your day by focusing on the goodness of God rather than the problems you know you will face and the challenges that await you.

And bit by bit, as you make this a regular practice, you will find yourself happier, more content and at peace.

God knew what he was doing when he put so many precious passages in the Bible on the subject of praise and worship and thankfulness. He knew that in order for us to live life more abundant, we would need to cultivate a heart of gratitude.

As we bring our praise to God, we are drawn closer to him. We grow in our relationship with him, and we are able to experience sweet communion with the giver of life, the creator, sustainer, saviour, redeemer and friend.

Start today, practicing gratefulness. And watch your happiness and contentment grow.

Take time to thank God for the little things. The seemingly insignificant things. The beautiful things. The hard things. The things difficult to understand. Everything.

It is God’s will that we be thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 - In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Look for those invisible blessings, and whether you see them or not, thank God for them. If you make gratitude a part of your life, not just a few words briefly prayed when things are going right, but thankfulness overflowing from your lips, as natural as breathing, the blessings will be revealed, and you will marvel once again at God’s goodness.

Psalm 106:1  Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD;

 for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.