Let your soul sing

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"Let your soul sing" By Diane Webb

Psalms 30: 12—"To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent; O Lord my God; I will give thanks unto thee forever."

Giving thanks leads to singing praises to God in your soul. Has your soul ever praised God? Have you been so thankful your soul sang? Giving thanks to God is the pathway to singing in your soul. This sounds like intense happiness—such joy that the soul would honor God with song. What are you thankful for? How long does it take for you to recite your list of gratitude? Are you thankful for clean, easily accessible, safe water? Are you thankful for the electricity to cook with? Are you thankful for indoor plumbing? Are you thankful for vehicles to take you where you need or want to go? Sometimes we take for granted these everyday things that make up the very infrastructure of our lives. What about food? How many of us really have to worry whether we will have enough to eat today? What about our bodies? Even if suffering from illness or disability, we still have much to be thankful for physically. If we can't hear can we see? If we have lost our legs do we have arms? Can we smell? Does our heart and lungs continue to keep us alive? What services are in your community to be thankful for? Do you have doctors and pharmacists? Is there a hospital within driving distance? Can you call for emergency help? Do you have law enforcement and fire stations? Then there is nature—the beach, the mountains, the sunrise and sunset, the birds, the trees, grass, and animals. How is your family? The list goes on and on. Sometimes people say they have nothing to be thankful for. These people are usually well fed, able to walk on their own, and have healthy family members in the home—they have a home. People who say they have nothing to be thankful for are not thankful for what they have. They miss out on the joy of praising God due to an unthankful spirit. How do you feel when you give someone something or do something for someone who does not say "thank you"? Imagine how God may feel when we forget to thank Him. We need to wake up being thankful we are alive. We should thank God for being able to get ourselves out of bed. Every step of the day is full of wonderful gifts and blessings. The amazing things in our world that we enjoy—telephones, televisions, radios, computers, vehicles, appliances, restaurants, airplanes, and all the other great inventions we take for granted. If you are not thankful then chances are you are complaining. When we are complaining we cannot praise God. Complaining cancels out praise. The most important thing we are made to do is to praise God. That is our primary responsibility. Praise is a type of prayer to God. When you praise God then God is present with you. He listens to praise and thankfulness. Let's not forget to be thankful today and every day. Remember that praise is a prayer. Spend some time every day simply praising God without asking for something in return. Be joyful in the life He gave you and be thankful for what you have. An "attitude of gratitude' has healing benefits. What we focus on increases therefore if we focus on the blessings and goodness of our life then guess what grows! Every morning name ten things you are thankful for before you get out of bed. Continue adding to the list throughout the day and you will find it impossible to be depressed or anxious.

God, I am so thankful for all you have done for me and all the great things I enjoy in this world. I have a wonderful family, a nice home, a good car, and plenty of food to eat. Help me, Lord; remember to have a thankful heart so my soul, too, can sing praise to you. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen