As many of you know, we spent our 4th of July in the mountains. This also meant we didn’t attend church on the 4th (since we were out of town and I didn’t pack any decent clothes to visit a country church there).

So, with that said, I got up at 6:30am, wrapped myself in a blanket, picked up my bible, my iPod, and headed to our front porch.

I love having quiet time with the Lord while admiring His creation (especially in the mountains).

I started by reading God’s Word out loud … proclaiming many scriptures in the book of Psalms.

Then I decided to listen to Jon Owens on my iPod. (He is our new worship leader at our church.) I felt like I was at our church as I sang some of our worship music!

This is one of the songs I sang as the sun started rising over the mountains.

Then I started listening to Ryan Wyatt. I receive his podcasts and had some catching up to do!

Here are some of the thoughts I pondered on Sunday:

Ryan talked about the POWER OF THANKSGIVING!

He said it was one of the most powerful KEYS in living a life in the blessing of God.

God wants us to offer a sacrifice of praise. Sometimes when things are difficult around us, it IS a sacrifice to THANK HIM for what He has done in our lives. It is a MINDSET that we must have! Immediately I thought of the song, “Praise Him in the Storm” by Casting Crowns.

David understood the power of thanksgiving. The following scriptures show David’s priorities when he had the ark of the Lord brought into the tent.

1 Chronicles 16:4-6
He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel: Asaph was the chief, Zechariah second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.

He had musicians and worshipers leading the way — PREPARING the way! They were to MAKE PETITION, GIVE THANKS, and PRAISE THE LORD, the GOD OF ISRAEL.

David gave this Psalm of thanks to Asaph and his associates to be sung over and over to the Lord:

1 Chronicles 16:7-36

That day David first committed to Asaph and his associates this psalm of thanks to the LORD :

Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done.

Sing to him, sing praise to Him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.

Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced,

O descendants of Israel His servant, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.

He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth.

He remembers His covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

the covenant He made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.

He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

“To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.”

When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,

they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

He allowed no man to oppress them; for their sake He rebuked kings:

“Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”

Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim His salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy in His dwelling place.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength,

ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name. Bring an offering and come before Him; worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.

Tremble before Him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”

Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth.

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Cry out, “Save us, O God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name, that we may glory in Your praise.”

Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the LORD.”

There is something KEY about REMEMBERING what God has done for us!

Ryan pointed out that when we FORGET the works God has done for us in our past, it sends a wasting disease in our present. Personally, I think when we remember His great works, it encourages us to believe that He will do it again!

David wanted to teach the people to THANK GOD DAILY so they wouldn’t forget what God had done in their past.

I’ll stop here because I have enough to write 3 posts.

Let me know if you’re interested in hearing more on this subject.

Have a great week!