God's Way, Thankfully

Perhaps it's been a bad day. Or maybe a lousy week. Or the beginning of  2010 hasn't been stellar.  Things started badly and ended up worse. Things beyond your control.

What's the natural thing to do? Complain. Wish things were better. Bite someone's head off. Get super grumpy. Mutter under your breath all day. Get angry. Feel sorry for yourself. Blame. Feel like giving up.  Look up and shake your puny fist at God and blurt out, "Why me? Why this?"

I won't lie, I've had times like this more often than not lately.

Thankfully, I haven't turned my back on God, although I've thought about it. From my many years of experience, though,  I know He is my only Hope. So, I'm not going to run away from Him. That would be like running into the clutches of the bogeyman when your loving parent is right there behind you, arms outstretched.

So, as I was reading my Bible the other day, a verse jumped out at me. I read it a few times.

Psalm 50:23 (paraphrased somewhat)

If you do what's really hard right now, in fact one of the hardest things to do --which is to  THANK ME-- you will HONOR me. What's more, your thankfulness prepares the way for ME to show you what I can do, namely to SAVE you.

It's like God is giving me a key and saying, "Go, unlock the door." 

So simple. Yet so difficult.