Thank God
Rob Schmitt / Video Ministry Coordinator
A few years ago, I received a very special Christmas gift from my brother. He gave me a piece of wall décor that contained four simple phrases.
In happy moments Seek God
In hard moments Praise God
In quiet moments Trust God
In all moments Thank God
I thought to myself, what a wonderful gift and such a powerful message. I was pleased to hang it on my wall. Every time I walked past it, I would look at it and smile. But it wasn’t for quite a long time that I actually stopped to read it ... or attempted to receive what it was saying. One day I remember reading each sentence individually and then trying to reflect on a time when I applied those words to my own life. In that moment, it was easy to recognize that the message was about living out your faith.
The words on the canvas were really beginning to stick with me. Now, I read it all the time to remind myself that God is faithful. I try to stop and take a moment to soak in those words when I am feeling emotional or overwhelmed. I’ve noticed the more I stay true to living out these words, the more intimate my relationship with Jesus Christ becomes. Here are some examples ...
Last week, while on vacation, I visited Orlando, Florida with my cousin. We had planned on purchasing several tickets to various Disney parks since I had never been there. I was excited to finally go to Disney World. Long story short, it poured for four days straight and most of our Disney plans were ruined. We spent three days mostly sitting in the room at the resort. Of course, we tried to make the best of it, but it was difficult not to be miserable. Finally, Saturday came and although it wasn't sunny ... it did not rain. There seemed to be a little bit of hope after all. My cousin and I were going to meet my sister and my brother-in-law out for dinner that night (They live in Florida, three hours away and drove up to meet us). I hardly get to see my sister much, so I was looking forward to spending time with her that night. They drove up to our resort and my cousin and I went outside to meet them. I remember how happy I was to see my sister walking toward me to greet me. I was so happy, grateful, and emotional in that moment, that nothing else mattered. The four days of rain could not stop the joy I was experiencing. I was so happy to see my sister that I couldn’t help but acknowledge God’s goodness in that moment and thank Him for this precious gift. I will no longer take for granted the opportunities and experiences I have that are only possible through God’s work and His faithfulness.
- In happy moments Seek God.
At the time, it was just a couple of weeks since my mother had passed. This has been very difficult for my siblings and I to deal with, let alone trying to continue on with our daily lives and routines like things are normal. I’m sure we have all heard the expression “When it rains, it pours.” Well, that is certainly what it felt like when I was awoken by a phone call from my brother early one morning. I knew that the weather was bad, and the streets were icy, so, I was hoping that my worst nightmare wasn’t coming true ... Sure enough though, it was. When I answered the phone, my brother was crying out in a panic that he was in an accident and that his car was totaled. In that moment, the enemy was successful in his plot to get my emotions going. I picked up my head as if I were directing myself to God and I screamed out NOOOOO ... NOOOO ... NOOO, thinking to myself, “How could this be happening? How could we lose our mother and now something as crazy as this could happen.” The attitude for at least a few seconds was, Why God? How? I don’t understand why this is happening. Nooo. Nooo. Why God? Why?? I know that “When it rains, it pours” is an expression that seems to say, “life isn’t fair.” I try not to look at challenging circumstances as being “unfair." I know I will face difficulty in my life because Jesus said so. I also know that Jesus overcame the world, and I can too by putting my faith and hope in Him. In the middle of my wrestling and ranting, I realized that my brother said he was okay and not injured. Within the frenzy of emotions, I dropped to my face and praised God for sparing my brother’s life. In that moment, the pure joy of knowing that my brother was safe, instantly brought a smile to my face. Because I was able to focus on God’s goodness in that moment, I was able to overcome the circumstances.
- In hard moments Praise God.
I never thought about the day when both of my parents would be gone. Facing that reality today has been devastating. I feel completely lost without them. I cannot remember a day in the last couple of years when I haven’t cried. Some days I wake up and I can’t even breathe ... I fall to the floor and feel paralyzed. I feel so alone, even abandoned sometimes. In these moments, I begin to cry out to God. These are the moments when I am longing to feel God’s presence or to hear His gentle whisper. These are usually the times when it feels like God is a million miles away. It becomes hard to pray in these moments because I feel somewhat disconnected. But I have learned to be patient in the quiet times ... I learned to stay focused on God’s goodness and not focus on myself. Quiet? Yes, but alone? No. I know that God hears me, and He is always working even when it seems like He isn’t. My thoughts begin to shift to Him. He fills me with His peace and His comforting love. I begin to think about how my parents are no longer suffering. I think about how God redeemed us from death. And I think about the hope we have in Jesus Christ. I am now able to deal with my situation by putting things into perspective ... God’s perspective! I can now rest knowing that God has got me.
- In quiet moments Trust God.
I have seen the fruit that comes with putting these phrases into practice. The more I seek God in happy moments, the more joy He brings me. The more I praise God in hard moments, the more He assures me that I will make it through the storm. The more I trust Him in quiet times, the more God is faithful to reveal His goodness to me. This all leads back to His faithfulness. When we rely on God, He is faithful to give us what we need in any given moment. These constant reminders make it easier to praise Him for ALL things ... even the little things. Even the things we may take for granted sometimes like heat, water, shelter, food, clothing and even oxygen. With everything I have been going through and all the things I will go through, I am reminded each and every day of God’s goodness. I am reminded of how grateful and blessed I am to be a child of God.
- In every moment Thank God.