Please and Thank You
Musings from the Garden
By Peggy Wyar
Little girls can be so adorable. They remind me that our Heavenly Father delights in me in much the same way that I delight in them. For instance, my youngest granddaughter has taken on this precious habit that when she wants something she will extend her hand and say, “Thank you,” in the cutest little voice ever. It melts my heart, so, of course, I want to give her what she wants.
As I watched over her doing this time after time, the Holy Spirit began to speak to my heart about what I was seeing. Here was this young child, so trusting in the goodness of her caregiver, that she would extend her hand to receive whatever I planned to give her and was already giving thanks for it with her words. Does that stir your heart like it did mine?
Do I go to the heavenly Father with an outstretched hand ready to receive the good gift that He wants to supply in answer to my prayers? Am I already giving Him thanks for the blessing I will receive?
My granddaughter could not put into words what she wanted, but she knew she wanted something from me. I was eager to give her the best I could because I loved her. Our Heavenly Father is also eager to give His best to us. He is ready to pour out His grace and love, mercy and forgiveness, strength and wisdom, and anything else that He sees we need. Often, we can’t express our need, or may not even know it completely, but the Holy Spirit helps us in praying for those things. And our Father who loves us, answers.
Romans 8:27 “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
What I also noticed with my granddaughter was her ability to embrace whatever she received. She may not have wanted the carrot stick right then, but she tucked it into her hand and said, “Thank you,” as she reached out her other hand to receive more from me. How it must bless the Father’s heart when we are grateful for what He has supplied but continue to reach out to Him for more. He knows how much we need Him. He blesses those who know that apart from Him, they can do nothing.
John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
An attitude of gratitude changes us. We more willingly embrace the grace He gives us when we are thankful for all that God brings into our lives. Our Abba is good. We can trust Him even when we may not understand that what He has given is good for us. Just as my granddaughter did not understand why a carrot was good for her, we may wonder what’s good about our circumstances.
Mathew 7:9-11 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Our God has unlimited love and knowledge. He knows how to best bless His children for their greater good, and the good of His church and the world. Let’s ask Him for the good gifts, with thanksgiving, that will impact our world for eternity.