Our God is a God of miracles
This weekend I will celebrate my fiftieth birthday! I want to thank God publicly for the miracle that made this possible.
Of course, every new day is a miracle for everyone.
But I experience this is a deeper way than most. You see, many years ago, when I was very ill, I received a preliminary diagnosis of liver and spleen cancer. I was not expected to live for more than a few months. However, that preliminary diagnosis was wrong and now, six and a half years later, my husband still has a wife, my children still have a mother, and I am one thankful woman.
I praise God for his goodness and kindness.
Because, despite all the prayers, God did not have to work this miracle. He reminded me of that earlier this month when a friend with almost identical symptoms received an almost identical preliminary diagnosis. In his case the diagnosis was sadly correct; it seems as though God will not give him and his family many more precious days together on this earth.
No, God did not have to work this miracle for me, but he did. And therefore I want to praise him publicly and tell the world what he has done.
Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
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May you, too, my dear readers, be able to thank God for the good he has done for you. And if thankfulness is hard for you today, hold onto the fact that God is good, as Ann Voskamp did in her profound book One Thousand Gifts. Remember that, somehow, it’s all good …because God is with us, and because he is good and loving and has the whole world in his hands.
May God bless each one of you in your own unique situation!
You reminded me of what we have just been memorizing from Psalm 103:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
You must be a week younger than me: I was 50 last Sunday. There are so many blessings and I have also been thinking about wise use of the time that remains.
Happy birthday and what a blessing to your family that you were spared to be able to celebrate it.
Oh happy birthday Annie Kate! I am praising God from whom all blessing flow with you for all these many gifts. Have a blessing of a time with your family.
Happy birthday. And yes, praising God for His many blessings in your life and your health. Praying you continue to get stronger and stronger.
Van harte gefeliciteerd! Wat een mooie, getuigende blog. Wat een wonder dat je nog leeft. Het raakt me diep.
Yes, Nelleke, that Psalm is so amazing. I plan to memorize it this year. Our God is so very, very good to us!
Congratulations, Sarah Elisabeth! Yes, using our remaining time wisely is so important, isn’t it?
Thank you Tricia, JoAnn, and Jedidja for your best wishes, prayers, and praise! May God bless you too.
Wow! As Charles Dickens said in A Tale of Two Cities “Recalled to life!” Happy belated birthday. 50 years – A year of Jubilee.