Remembering we’re blessed

May 1, 2006

By Connie Cross

As Americans we know that we’re blessed. We live lives of such comfort and ease that our ancestors would be amazed, yet it is not a fact we contemplate much. We’re busy. The demand of affluence is always “more,” and we often heed it.

But take a moment to think how nice it is to flick a switch for light, move a lever for heat, and open the refrigerator for a cold beverage. We have it so easy, so much easier than any people in any place have ever had it.

Human memory and gratitude haven’t progressed as much as technology. As often as we forget to be grateful for our provisions, we fail to attribute them to the Provider. This is not new in human history. Israel repeatedly forgot God’s blessings. “They soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel” (Psalm 106:13, NIV).

Often it was during their trials that the Israelites remembered God’s blessings. Let us not fall prey to similar thinking. Let us now and always “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good” and remember His “many kindnesses” (Psalm 106:1, 7).

So the next time you press a button and receive a marvelous convenience, remember to thank the Lord who provided it.

Connie Cross is assistant to the managing editor of Today’s Pentecostal Evangel.