Life wasn’t good for Ann Voskamp. She said God’s plans were “a gutted, bleeding mess.” Yet, when she learned to be thankful, everything changed.
I’m in the process of reading One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp. Jillian referred to this book in PODCAST #42 Childhood Cancer – Where are you God?
Ann Voskamp describes her difficult life, beginning in the year she turned four, with the tragic accident which took the life of her younger sister.
If you prefer to listen to the podcast: Podcast #47 Thank the Lord, for He is good
Thanks for nothing God!
Ann uses strong, emotional language to say she is angry at God for the mess of her life: “No, God? No, God, we won’t take what You give. No, God, Your plans are a gutted, bleeding mess and I didn’t sign up for this and You really thought I’d go for this? No, God, this is ugly and this is a mess and can’t You get anything right and just haul all this pain out of here and I’ll take it from here, thanks. And God? Thanks for nothing.
Isn’t this the human inheritance, the legacy of the Garden?
I believe the Serpent’s hissing lie, the repeating refrain of his campaign through the ages: God isn’t good. It’s the cornerstone of his movement. That God withholds good from His children, that God does not genuinely, fully, love us,” p14.
I just want more
Ann describes how the very first sin keeps repeating itself: “From all of our beginnings, we keep reliving the Garden story.
Satan, he wanted more. More power, more glory.
Ultimately, in his essence, Satan is an ingrate. And he sinks his venom into the heart of Eden. Satan’s sin becomes the first sin of all humanity: the sin of ingratitude. Adam and Eve are, simply, painfully, ungrateful for what God gave.
Isn’t that the catalyst of all my sins?
Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren’t satisfied in God and what He gives. We hunger for something more, something other,” p15
Ann Voskamp uses powerful language to describe the human condition. She has faced devastating situations and blamed God. That seems only natural. After all, shouldn’t a loving God, if He even exists, give me better than this? Yet, the book describes how Ann learned to be thankful for the small things, even in the midst of trouble, and how thankfulness changed everything.
I will praise you, O Lord
It seems strange, that praising and thanking God could help us find joy in this messy, busy, troubled life. Yet, that’s exactly what God calls us to do, ESPECIALLY when things are bad and the world seems unbearable. God says that He is in control; that we can trust Him to take care of us; and that He will never stop loving us.
Even when we cannot see any purpose in our own life, God says He will fulfil His purpose in us. Our purpose is to thank and glorify God in all circumstances.
I don’t know the problems that you are facing right now – poor health; uncertainty; financial difficulty; difficult decisions; wayward children; anger issues; marriage troubles… But God knows all your problems. And He WANTS TO HELP. He promises to be with you. And God always keeps His promises – thank the Lord!
Psalm 138
I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.
All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands. Psalm 138 (ESV)
Prayer:
Dear God, my life is often a mess of loneliness, pain, sickness, suffering, sadness and just feeling unsettled. I admit that I often blame You for my circumstances. I demand personal peace and comfort. I think that I deserve better than this. Forgive me!
Remind me that You are in control, not me. You know everything that is wrong in the world. And You continue to uphold it with patience and righteousness. The time is coming when You will put all things right; when Your justice will prevail.
But I cannot stand in Your presence, O God. Because I am a sinner, your justice will destroy me. So, I pray for your mercy. I know that Jesus died to pay for my sins. And I claim Your promise to forgive me, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Thank you that I will have eternal peace in heaven. Help me to be thankful for everything right now. Thank you for preserving my life in the midst of trouble.
I praise, exalt and magnify Your glorious name. God is good! Hallelujah! Amen.