This #WorshipWednesday Steve shares his thoughts on ‘Counting Every Blessing’ …
‘Comparison is the thief of joy’
Sometimes we focus so much on what we don’t have or can’t get that we can lose sight of or forget about what we do have. We can look on with envy or jealousy at the ‘supposed perfect’ lives or possessions of others; ‘if only I had one of those’, ‘if only my …. was like theirs’, so many ‘if only’s’.
But chasing the ‘if only’s’ of material possessions, circumstances or relationships will only ever be temporary and destructive, and actually rob us of the joy in recognising what we do have and what is surrounding us, both in the ‘here and now’ and in our future. Even in difficult times there are still blessings present and blessings to come.
Psalm 23:6 tells us ‘For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life’ (TPT).
There are two things here that I’ll focus on; firstly we have the goodness and love of our holy, powerful, creator God, who to us is our ‘Abba, Father’. Secondly, not just that we have this, but our Father is always actively pursuing us to bestow his blessings upon us – think of that, God is working hard, straining and striving to pour out His blessings on you! We may sometimes see ourselves as insignificant, but to God we are the most significant thing He ever created – “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”
In reality ‘counting every blessing’ is very difficult, because there are so many in our lives. Let’s not grumble about what God hasn’t given us, but instead recognise what is truly important and give thanks to God for the life he has given us, for what we have, for what we can do and for all that is still to come – we are ‘blessed beyond all measure’!
Listen to Counting Every Blessing (Rend Collective) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Y91axwxfI
Watch the story behind the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM1MPOHFi34
Psalm 23 The Passion Translation (TPT)
The Good Shepherd
23 David’s poetic praise to God]
1 The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd.
I always have more than enough.
2 He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love.
His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss.
3 That’s where he restores and revives my life.
He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure
and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness
so that I can bring honour to his name.
4 Lord, even when your path takes me through
the valley of deepest darkness,
fear will never conquer me, for you already have!
You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way.
Your authority is my strength and my peace.
The comfort of your love takes away my fear.
I’ll never be lonely, for you are near.
5 You become my delicious feast
even when my enemies dare to fight.
You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit;
you give me all I can drink of you until my heart overflows.
6 So why would I fear the future?
For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life.
Then afterward, when my life is through,
I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!