I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30 KJV
As another Thanksgiving approaches, I’m trying to decompress a bit from the never-ending daily chaos we call life, and spend some time thinking about what I’m thankful for. Aside from the obvious material things we all appreciate, I’m really thankful that at a young age, the Holy Spirit knocked on the door of my heart and encouraged me to open it. I can honestly say that my hope in Christ is the only way I can make any sense of this world. Without him, there is just nowhere to take the burdens, the pain, the guilt and the grief. Without him, we are left to drag all of that around ourselves, accumulating more each year until we’re drowning in it. I see a lot of unhappy campers on social media who desperately need peace. They are so consumed by hate that I fear their lives must be a miserable existence. If only they knew how different it could be. The power of Jesus to radically change lives is something I am eternally grateful for. Instead of stewing over all the reasons the world-is-going-to-hell-in-a-hand-basket, I have the assurance that one day all the wrongs will be made right, so I can rest in the promises of God and enjoy the blessings he provides.
A few months back I found a great rendition of “Is He Worthy?” by Shane and Shane, a Christian duo with a great talent for setting Scripture to music. The song explores some of the questions we might ask—knowing that we need help in this fallen world, but wondering who is powerful enough to rescue us. The lyrics affirm that Jesus is the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament—the promised one who would come to die, accepting the wrath of God in our place and bringing us back into communion with the Father. As such, Jesus is the only one who is worthy to save us.
My favorite line asks and answers “Does our God intend to dwell again with us? – He does.”
One day mankind will once again physically walk with Almighty God—a feat only possible because Jesus is worthy—and I am very thankful that he is.
In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Revelation 5:12 NIV
On the journey toward Home,
