Psalm 66:16-20
All who worship God, come here and listen; I will tell you everything God has done for me. I prayed to the Lord, and I praised him. If my thoughts had been sinful, he would have refused to hear me. But God did listen and answered my prayer. Let's praise God! He listened when I prayed, and he is always kind.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When we see a friend or family member and ask, “What’s new?”… we often get an earful. People are ready to share their latest ailments, challenges, mishaps, and more… and I am as guilty as the next person. Wouldn’t we be surprised if we asked “What’s new?” and someone replied, “God is meeting all my needs… He blessed me with a good night’s rest and I’m feeling great. All of my bills are paid and I have plenty to eat… and best of all, He’s got a mansion waiting for me when I get to heaven!”?!
Honestly, we would probably 1) take a step backward, and 2) wonder if the person speaking was thinking clearly! We are just not accustomed to hearing such good news… people simply do not express their blessings as frequently as they detail their misfortunes and the negative aspects of their lives. It’s as if we think people either won’t be interested in hearing that we have no complaints… or they will think we are bragging.
The truth is that we have no basis for this thinking… because most of us have never tried speaking positively – at least not without peppering in negative comments, as well. The late TV broadcaster Paul Eells said that he tried to make every person he encountered feel like they were the only person in the room. He did this, in part, by focusing on that person and his/her needs rather than his own. And I can’t help but believe that when Paul did share about himself with others, it was more often positive in nature than negative.
We really do need to change our attitude in this area. We need to start making a concerted effort to speak positively… to share Good News and talk about the great things God is doing for us each and every minute of the day. This is not a denial that you have problems… everyone does! But what if instead of sharing your problem… you shared how God is solving it?! The difference is simply a shift in attitude. Surely our great God deserves this… and more. Isn’t it time we started speaking of His power and how He answers our prayers? Are you willing to give this a try?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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