May 06, 2015
Never To Late
Every once in a while I’ll
have a physical issue that I suffer with for months — a strained muscle, an
outbreak of eczema, bursitis. Often I’m caught off guard when all of the sudden
I realize that my ailment is gone. Unlike Jesus healing the paralytic, the
blind and the demon possessed, I’m not aware of exactly when the pain stopped,
so I feel guilty for not acknowledging answered prayers. The story of Jesus
healing 10 men of leprosy helped me realize it’s never too late to return to
the Lord in thanksgiving. Jesus sent the leprous men to the priests and as they
went they were healed. “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back,
praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked
him—and he was a Samaritan” (Luke 17:15-16 NIV).
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Gail;
-----1991 began a little frighteningly. George H.W. Bush sat in front of the cameras telling America we were going to war to free Kuwait. There, he implored America to request God’s help for success in the objective. During the next few weeks we all watched this incredible victory unfold. When Kuwait was once again secure and the air empty of bullets, President Bush appeared on national television with thanks and adulation for America’s military. I watched his victory speech specifically to hear his call for America to thank God as he had called America to ask of God. But it never came. I sat there yelling at the TV like an idiot, like it would do any good, “That’s it baby! You’re finished! There won’t be any second term for you! Giant, GIANT MISTAKE!” Fittingly, he was replaced by a clown-nosed liar. America has only descended deeper and deeper into the pits of deceit following that frightening snub. And interestingly, all the lies America concocted about HW’s son, W, regarding HW’s vanquished foe to boot, finally rendered the Republican party into a feckless sideshow and turned American into a pit of slithering, lying vipers.
-----It isn’t only important for our spirituality to thank God for receiving what we asked of Him. It is important to our psychology as well. After Satan’s first assault on Job, God pointed out Job’s integrity was yet intact. Integrity is that special quality of strength coming from truthfulness and honesty. Appropriately placed thankfulness builds and binds together attitudes about the vanquished need, the gift vanquishing it, the giver caring about it, and the betterment now enjoyed. Like sticks in a bundle, these allied attitudes form strength from the cords of reality holding them fast, pulled tight and knotted by thankfulness into bundles of historical meaning about the source of security. When in need again, our minds return to what we thanked before. “May integrity and uprightness preserve me,” (Ps 25:21) “He who walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is perverse in his ways will fall into a pit.” (Prov 28:18)
-----As important is it to specifically thank as specifically as we asked, it is more important to generally thank as much as we generally asked. The other day I kind of chuckled and announced to Char that my guardian angel must be a dentist. I have all my teeth. None of those have any fillings, no current cavities, no tooth aches. I haven’t seen a dentist in forty-two years. There’s been a few times I’ve specifically asked the Lord for tooth care, but most of my life my thoughts about my teeth have been composed of thanks for His caring about them, and that thanks honestly felt in my heart. I think it is as interesting Paul said pray constantly as he said to give thanks always for everything. Like specifically thanking for having received what we specifically requested bundles thoughts into knowledge of where to go for help, generally thanking for what we generally receive bundles thought into awareness of His participation in our lives. Moreover, giving thanks both specifically and generally for the garbage dumped upon us, regardless of our having asked not that, bundles thoughts about the durability He makes in us to outlast situations. Connecting thankfulness of all kinds to requests of all kinds builds integrity of all kinds, and in all reality, builds more participation amongst us and our gracious Father.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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