Recall

Psalms 124:⁸ “For the same God who made everything, our Creator and our mighty maker, he himself is our helper and defender!” (TPT)

If we stop and think about where God has taken us from as a people, we can only say, “Thank You, Lord”. Very often, life comes at us in droves, and we really never have the time to stop and reflect. However, when we stop and reflect as a people, it is clear that God has been completely and totally amazing to us. We are totally grateful for fifteen years of God’s favour and faithfulness. When we think about the first year, our struggles, and how God came through, we are filled with gratitude. The second year, third year, fourth year, fifth year, when we remember all the things that God did for us, and where He took us from, we are in awe.

The sixth year, seventh year, eighth year, ninth year, tenth year, eleventh year, twelfth year, thirteenth year, fourteenth year, God shielded us, protected us, helped us, and multiplied us. We give God all the glory. And here we are clocking fifteen years on the 12^th of September! Father, we are totally and completely grateful. Interestingly, some people struggle with gratitude. They are just ungrateful people. Some know it and don’t care. Yet some know it and cry out for help. A lady came to us some time ago saying, “I am an ungrateful person. I am not grateful to my spouse. I am not grateful for my career and businesses. I am not a very grateful person. Can you help me?”

Like I said to her, I am saying to you today, if you can remember, you can be grateful. The challenge is people do not remember the good deeds that God has done for us. We do not remember the good deeds that people have done for us. We do not remember the good deeds, that is why we are not grateful. When someone is grateful, it really helps the person. It helps the person’s outlook on life, health, and attitude across the board. I came across this study from Havard.edu that says, “Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

Gratitude is a big part of the mental health of the individual. In fact, gratitude affects your mental health directly. The more grateful you are, the healthier your mind is. And the mind is so powerful; the mind determines the course of the life of the individual. In the US for instance, more soldiers died by suicide than in combat. Think about that. More soldiers, as a result of depression, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ended their own lives. The bombs and bullets in combat did not kill as many soldiers as the “bullets” in the minds of the soldiers.

Prayer: Father, I remember Your faithfulness and I am grateful, in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen!