Presence and Gratitude

“Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.” (Ps 140:13 AV)

Punctuation gives explanation to the words written.  Sometimes, we assume all punctuation, like periods, commas, or question marks, simply break up a paragraph or parts of sentences.  However, a colon has a very specific purpose.  The colon, as seen above, gives cause or explanation to what was written.  The colon tells us that the second part of the psalm explains the first part.  Or, putting it plainly, because the saints will dwell in the presence of God, they will give thanks.  This leads us to a very simple application.  Dwelling in the presence of God should produce a heart of thanksgiving.  If we are not walking with God in sweet communion with Him, we murmur, become resentful, or even suffer depression.  The more consistently we walk with God, the more grateful we become.  Even in times of deep trial, those who walk with God in humility and faith have something for which they can thank God.

Recently, we went through several bouts of different health issues.  It wasn’t cancer this time.  The potential diagnosis or outcome was actually much worse.  Cancer was of little concern.  This caused my wife and me to radically change the nature of our relationship.  What was important to me became impossible.  That which I relied upon as the definition of a close relationship became non-existent.  That which she needed became strained.  When severe illness interrupts our normal lives, it is not an easy road to travel.  When that which we have grown accustomed to is removed, something needs to fill that gap.  Something; or someone.  Getting older and suffering the events that age brings along has been a learning experience for me.  In many ways, aging is one of the hardest things God asks us to do.  Life brings with it radical change.  Not just physically.  Emotional and spiritual changes are also dramatic.  There are many issues one is confronted with.  But they all boil down to one common idea.  The nature of our relationship with the LORD was not what we thought it was.  As life changes, the nature of that relationship changes.  We thought we were close to Him.  When life changes, we realize how far we truly were.  It takes challenges of mind, heart, and will for us to come face to face with the reality of where we are and where we need to be.

In going through deep waters, we can respond one of two ways.  We can either become resentful at the change demanded of us.  Or, if we slow down our emotional response to it, we can become grateful the LORD brought us through it with grace and strength.  We can either grow closer to the LORD.  Or, because we resent the change, we can drift away.  We can stop and meditate on where we have been and where we are, realizing God has a plan for it all.  Or, we can be short-sighted and only think on how it immediately affected us.  We can be angry with God.  Or, we can the thankful.  Our psalmist suggests the closer we are to the presence of God, the more thankful we become.  I, for one, am grateful for the experience.  I will not lie.  It was hard.  It was near impossible.  In the years to come, it will become even more difficult.  I have only witnessed the tip of the iceberg.  But, one thing I have learned.  God loves me, has a purpose for everything, and in the middle of all this, He is changing me to be more like His Son.  I wish it could be done some other way.  But I am not the Creator.  It is not up to me to decide right and wrong.  I have no authority to determine what is fair and what is not.  God is God and I am not.  What I am most thankful for is that He doesn’t abandon the works of His hands.  Whether blessing or trial, He knows what is best.  Praise God for a loving Father who loves us too much to give up on us!