Psalm 13:6
“I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.”
Today I made a list. It was easier and quicker than I expected. And more rewarding too!
The List
After reading Psalm 13:6, an idea occurred to me. A good way to prepare for worship tomorrow might be to list ways in which God has been good to me. So, I opened a blank page on my computer and typed the heading “Something to Sing About”. I began to make a numbered list. My initial goal was 20 or 30 items. I thought it might take 15 minutes.
I quickly achieved 50 items. It took, maybe 5 minutes. I noticed a few things as I made my list.
- The more I wrote the more ideas I had
- As the list grew longer my spirits lifted higher
- The more specific I got in listing things the more fun I was having
- It was much easier than I thought it was going to be
Expanding the List
But what I achieved next actually surprised me. I took the first item in my list of 50 and expanded it in a second list. The item was “Happy up-bringing”. In less than five minutes I typed 25 ways in which “God has been good to me” during my dependent years. I was surprised how easily this list flowed. Then I took one of the things on that sub list (“learning American Sign-Language”) and very quickly listed another 16 sub-sub “God’s-been-good-to-me” notations.
While doing this I started to remember things long forgotten. For example: the big Bible that my deaf friends gave me on my 16th (?) birthday and the way my world-view began to mature when I first visited new deaf friends in their homes. My gratitude was elevated. And then I remembered that I was counting leaves on only one small twig of a rather huge gratitude tree. Indeed, God has been good to me!
So, am I just a lucky guy with lots of good in my life? Perhaps, but I did one more thing to explore this assumption. Psalm 13 is not all happy singing. It also contains lament: “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (Ps. 13:2) Singing comes at the end of this Psalm, not the beginning.
Improving the List
I took a very negative thing in my life and wrote it down as a heading. Then I tried to list ways in which “God has been good to me” through that experience. This was harder. It took more time. I even resisted the exercise a little. But within ten minutes I had a list of 12 items. Re-reading this list I have to say it has greater insight, depth and value than the other lists. It doesn’t have the free-flowing fun of my first 100+ items but it will certainly reinforce Sunday’s singing. Even in my pain, God has been good to me!
Singing the List
I am now a little bit more prepared for worship tomorrow. Time spent meditating on God’s goodness to me has elevated my joy and opened my heart. I always enjoy singing to God. Tomorrow I will enjoy it just a little more.
Questions
- What is on your list? How has God been good to you?
- Have you had an experience similar to mine? Or perhaps a different experience?
- What helps you prepare for worship?
Enjoy Ron Kenoly singing "He's Been Good to Me":
LUCK is Living Under Christ Knowledge
ReplyDeleteNow you've thrown down a challenge! It's much easier to thank God in the good times, isn't it. The idea of searching out how God has been good to me through the not-so-nice times is actually a helpful idea for further reflection. Thanks Allan.
ReplyDeleteWonderful Allan, thanks. A real word for me. Wonderful song too. I found Ron kenoly in LA when I was travelling a lot in the 90's. He taught me a great deal about genuine worship. Thanks muchly! Don
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