"A Journey To the Past"

"We will be glad and rejoice in Thee; we will remember Thy love" (Song of Solomon 1:4).

Every breath we have ever breathed has been the direct gift of God. The fact that we exist is the same. And "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights" (Acts 17:25; James 1:17).

There are countless implications that proceed from this blessed truth. The one that has most been on my mind of late is how far behind I am in the matter of gratitude expressed toward the Benefactor of such generosity. In one sense, of course, there is no possibility of our thanksgiving matching God's giving. As the beautiful old hymn declares, "Out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again." We don't even begin to know all that our Heavenly Father has bestowed upon us throughout our lifetimes, and His known blessings come at us too fast and furious for our thanksgiving to match His lavish outpouring.

This consideration has of late led me to backtrack in my heart and mind on a journey to the past for the purpose of being sure I have specifically said "Thank You" to the God who has so blessed my life. People, events, places, experiences, blessings, and also the trials, tribulation, heartaches, and heartbreaks that the Lord has woven "together for good" in my life - all are places I want to go in my heart to kneel at the altar of thanksgiving (Romans 8:28). I know without a doubt that my deficit of gratitude is great, and it's long overdue that the Heart that gave should be the Heart that hears the sound of my voice saying "Thank You."

I will not complete the journey in this lifetime. The trail of "He giveth and giveth and giveth again" is long, and it winds through countless venues wherein Divine lovingkindness, wisdom, provision, protection, and the presence of God have always been waiting for me. It is a blessed journey, and of course, I share this to recommend it to anyone who may not have considered such a venture of gratitude. Praise and thanksgiving warm the heart of God, and they warm our hearts as well. A.W. Tozer once referred to gratitude as a "the sweetener of the soul," and it is that and far more. Indeed, thanksgiving is actually a journey into reality. "Life and breath and all things... every good and perfect gift" - all have come us and continue to come to us from the God who could rightly have given us just the opposite. We venture into grace, mercy, and the very heart of God when this journey to the past takes us to places where altars have long been awaiting our hearts and voices of gratitude.

"He shall hear my voice."

(Psalm 55:17)