Frank, unadulterated celebration

Of necessity I must indulge in a moment of frank, unadulterated celebration and thanksgiving. From time to time, the realization of deep, prodigious joy overwhelms you, not the high of an acquisition, but the deep seated sense of well being totally unrelated to anything natural, tangible or visible. You don’t become happy, you just realize just how much you are. God and I were talking this morning and it happened again.

I realize I am profoundly thankful that I know God. I think of all those many years ago when God helped me to see clearly something that had totally eluded me and even seemed exceedingly ludicrous and implausible, Jesus, the cross, salvation, redemption, relationship, reconciliation; and I am so thankful that He was put off neither by my obduracy nor by my sharp tongue.

I am deeply thankful that Jesus walked off the pages of the Bible into my life and became flesh and blood to me, that the Holy Spirit did not come in on tiptoe but settled in and made himself at home. I am thankful for the consciousness of the reality of God, the near tangible awareness of Him, it is unearned, it is a gift; grateful for certainty in the midst of uncertainty, for assurance in the midst of doubt, for a firm foundation where all is shaky.

And when on rising in the morning, the presence of the Holy Spirit fills my room, I am profoundly thankful that God cares and that God comes. I think of the psalms, ‘what is man that you consider him?’ And this morning I had to thank Him again for life, the life of God, for the joy unspeakable, for that peace which passes all understanding. As we spoke, I reviewed the prayers yet unanswered and had the temerity to say that they had no bearing on my joy; I will not be any happier when you have done these things than I am now.

Consequently I am exceedingly thankful that God does not need to be blackmailed to bless because otherwise, i never will be. I can neither threaten him with imminent depression (mine) nor with jilting if he does not meet my demands. Rather, like a smitten admirer i find myself saying i have nothing to complain about, you have truly been jaw breakingly good to me and I absolutely adore you. And I am deeply thankful that i do.