Mon. Prayer Closet: God of the Hills and Valleys

 I've walked among the shadows

You wiped my tears away

And I've felt the pain of heartbreak

And I've seen the brighter days

And I've prayed prayers to heaven from my lowest place

And I have held the blessings

God, you give and take away

No matter what I have, Your grace is enough

No matter where I am, I'm standing in Your love

On the mountains, I will bow my life

To the one who set me there

In the valley, I will lift my eyes to the one who sees me there

When I'm standing on the mountain aft, didn't get there on my own

When I'm walking through the valley end, no I am not alone!

You're God of the hills and valleys!

Hills and Valleys!

God of the hills and valleys

And I am not alone!

I've watched my dreams get broken

In you I hope again!

No matter what I know

Know I'm safe inside Your hand

Father, you give and take away

Every joy and every pain

Through it all you will remain

Over it all!

You're God of the hills and valleys!

Hills and Valleys!

God of the hills and valleys

And I am not alone!

And I will choose to say "Blessed be Your name, yeah, yeah"

Greeting Sister. Quick review, Dec's theme was Worship and Jan's theme is Thanksgiving.

Worship- reverence and adoration of our God. ... For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. 

Ps 95:3-7

Thanksgiving- gratitude and recognition of our God. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

It is so easy to say thank you for good things that we are given by our Father, but what about when the bad things enter our lives? Do we still give Him thanks? Quick answer is yes. But how you ask? Why would I even want to?

When sickness, evil deeds of man, natural destruction, loss of friends and family, financial turmoil, etc., enters our lives, how can we be thankful for any of it. We didn't ask for it, we don't want it entering our lives; we want no part of the pain and heartache that is the resulting fruits of it. But it's still our Father's will to be thankful through it all. In our humanness, our minds, to the world; it makes no sense.

But God tells us different. Three promises to be thankful to God for during the bad times.

1)“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 )

No matter how the enemy tries to attack us or how the pain of living in a world of sin affects us, God will take any situation and mold it to His will for our good, for His glory and for the world to see His hands moving in our lives. This is our testimony.

2) “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

We might not understand the good on this side of heaven, but we can be thankful that He has not forsaken us in these situations and His hand is moving in these situations.

3) I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)

The time we have on earth is nothing comparable to the eternity we will have with our Father. "This too shall pass" is a phrase we say but truly, if we look back, we can see how God provided, protected, worked through it for us. Its gut wrenching at the time but when it comes to eternity, we have the promise that the old will pass away and tears, pain, heartache will be no more.

So we are thankful in the bad times because God's hand is working for us, 2) He will not forsake us through any of it, 3) He gives us the hope of an eternity of peace and joy with Him.