Cheryl Coles has been married 37 years, came to know Jesus 25 years ago, and has appreciated the encouragement of this SUM community for 5 years. She is a high school algebra teacher in Washington.
Have you ever had a moment with God that you just couldn’t wait to share? Well, here’s what I just experienced this morning.
On my morning walk in nature today, I was struck with an extra wave of gratitude. I walk on a neighbor’s property but feel that God has given this beautiful strip of nature to me. As I was overcome with gratitude, I pondered how I could ever “repay” God for all his blessings. I know, I know, there’s nothing that could even come close to repaying my debt, but still is there anything I can do to show my gratitude?
A while later, I grabbed my cup of coffee, cracked open my Bible, and my eyes randomly (or divinely) fell onto Psalm 116:12.
What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me?
Wait, what?!!! I don’t remember ever reading this verse before, even though I’ve read the entire Bible multiple times. (His mercies are new every morning.) After re-reading this verse to make sure I didn’t misread it, I continued on to verse 13.
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.
Wow! My heart immediately translated it as God wants me to thank Him and talk to Him. Duh!
I then looked up some commentaries on this verse and found this quote from Barnes Notes on the Bible, “Make it a matter of special ceremony or observance to call the mercy of God to remembrance.” So, I see this as a toast to God when I lift up my cup of salvation. Another commentator mentioned doing this with faith, fervency, sincerity, and truth. Then, don’t stop there according to verse 13b. Don’t just give thanks, but continue to pray for MORE! The word invocation comes to mind. Ask for assistance from the one who has the authority.
My reflection then led me to the idea the after ALL that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit has done for me, what does He want in return? He wants me to acknowledge Him, thank Him, appreciate Him, talk to Him, ask anything of Him, pray to Him, spend time with Him….
In other words, He loves me and only wants my love in return.
Today happens to be my birthday. People often ask me what do I want? Mothers out there can relate to my answer: Nothing really. What do I want? I appreciate the extra attention I receive today. I appreciate the extra communications. Ultimately, it’s all about connection. I appreciate the way my loved ones connect with me today. Our Father in heaven feels the same way about us.
Connection is an outward exhibition of our love. Connection is now my word of the day and I will ponder it all day along with Psalm 116: 12 – 13.
One last observation. I lift my hands in different postures as I praise and thank God. One such position is as if my hands are cupped. I lift my “cup” of salvation to the Lord. Notice that as I lift my hands in thanksgiving, they are also open to receive. The more I pray with thanksgiving, the more I actually get in return.
Leave a Reply