“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
James 1:17
Have you ever prayed for something adamantly, fervently, and consistently, and that prayer was answered? I certainly have. It’s happened when I’ve had sick family members, when I proposed to my wife, when I was unemployed and looking for a job, and much more. I prayed and prayed and prayed, and in the end, God answered those prayers in the way that I had hoped. Of course, it doesn’t always work out that way, but in these cases, it did. Something that I must confess was consistent about each of these different situations is that I was much more diligent in praying for the outcome I wanted than I was afterwards about thanking God for providing it.
It’s funny how we can be so proud of ourselves and our own efforts when things go well, and then blame God for not answering our prayers the way we wanted when things don’t go our way. In all these situations that I mentioned, I was praying constantly about the thing I was worried about, but when God answered, I spent only a fraction of the amount of time thanking him and praising him for the good gift he gave.
I mention this because this verse is a reminder that every good thing, regardless of whether you even prayed for it or not, was given to you by God. Yet, we spend so much more time asking than we do thanking and praising him. He is constantly pouring his blessings out on us. Every good thing in your life, from major victories to routine things like having enough food on the table to eat every day, comes from God. We ought to be constantly in prayer of thanksgiving for that.
What’s even better is that God will never change. He won’t stop loving us and blessing us. He won’t stop giving good and perfect gifts. The writer of Hebrews says he’s not like shifting shadows, there one minute and gone the next, always changing with the light and darkness. He is the light, and his light is constant. We can always count on him to be there, wanting the best for us in all situations, even when we don’t deserve it. That’s the beauty of God’s grace. Praise him for that.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for all of the good and perfect gifts that you have given me that I have failed to give you the proper thanks and praise that you deserve. I know that I could never do enough to thank you for everything you have done and will do for me, but I love you and I am grateful to be yours.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
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