We live along the Lake Michigan shoreline.  In less than 5 minutes we can wriggle our toes in the sand… watch the stillness or the crash of the waves… and stand or kneel in awe of the colors of the setting sun.

 

The password to God's presence is pretty simple. It will probably surprise you. Click on the image to discover this amazing little secret.

 

After being away for so many years, each night that we could, we’d go to the beach to watch the sunset and stand in absolute awe.  Humbled that our Creator would night after night “paint” the. most. gorgeous. colors across the sky and place thin and thick clouds to catch the colorful hues of the setting sun.

Our hearts were grateful.

Some nights we would start singing our hearts were so full of praise.

You know… I think that is exactly the response God wanted.

In Psalm 100:4 the writer tells us…

Enter with the password: “Thank you!”

Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.

Beautiful Sunset Photo with Psalm 100:4 Scripture Quote from the Inspirational Devotional at AnExtraordinaryDay.net | Great tips for faith in everyday life.

For close to a year now, we’ve been able to enjoy sunsets at the beach… sometimes with bare feet and sometimes with boots, hats, and mittens. God never fails to delight us with the wonder at the close of each day.

I’m a little embarrassed and sad to say this… seeing that spectacle regularly hasn’t exactly become ho-hum, but I have noticed that I don’t react to it quite the way I did, 6 months ago.

God wants us to be in awe of Him and His creativity expressed in nature.  He wants us to see Him in it.  To be moved by it.

He wants us to expect to see Him and to have grateful words on the tips of our tongues.

Whenever we connect with God (Granted He is always with us, but I’m referring to our first conscious step towards Him in thought and spirit.) our first words need to be, “Thank you!”

I’m realizing that after seeing 6 months of sunsets I’m not nearly as grateful as I was the first half dozen times my eyes feasted on that spectacular sight.

Why is that?  Because my heart was grateful even before I stepped onto the beach.  I was so happy to be back along the beautiful lakeshore to see Lake Michigan sunsets again and feel the lake breezes on my face that my spirit simply rejoiced and my lips easily formed the words, “Thank you!”

 

The psalmist hints that the secret to God's presence... to walking closely with Him... is to start with Thank you! - AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

Recently, I thought I would be moving to another part of the state, so for a few weeks, I didn’t want to miss a single sunset.  I anticipated one every evening. Lake Michigan sunsets were much more important to me during that time.

The last week or so I’ve settled into one or two sunset visits to the lake.  And it made me wonder…

Is this what we do with God?

Do we start to take Him for granted because He will always be there?

What if we chose to be more purposeful?

What if we decided to say, “Thank you!” not just when something great takes place, but at the start of our day, at the stop light, at the mailbox, at the gas pump, at our desks, whenever we pick up our phones….? What if we did?

The psalmist hints that the secret to God’s presence… to walking closely with Him… is to start with “Thank you!”

You know how sports players talk trash to “get into the game” and set off their opponents?

This is how we get ourselves in God’s game….

Enter with the password: “Thank you!”

Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.

When we do… we find ourselves both comfortable with and in awe of our Lord.

He wants us to be comfortable with Him… trusting Him… seeking Him… and praising Him and glorifying Him.

And it all starts with those two words that our parents required us to say when we were young, “Thank you!”

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Lake Michigan Sunset - It's JoyDay! at AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

It’s JoyDay!

And time to get our joy meters soaring!

Please join me in thinking back over the past week and counting seven things for which you are thankful.  This simple exercise of counting and giving thanks is something we do each week to reset our compasses and put our eyes back on the Lord.

I’ll start…

Thank you, God for…

  1. for the rain and the strong breeze that brought in the cool less humid air tonight.  
  2. glorious sunsets that reflect Your beauty for our joy and enjoyment.
  3. air conditioning in the workshop… finally!
  4. Your constant listening ear and loving kindness.  
  5. neighbor kids who pester us and want us to play with them.
  6. my good friends who are faithful in prayer.
  7. a hint of fall with those gorgeous huge and billowy fall-like clouds.

Now…it’s YOUR turn!

List your ‘seven’ in the ‘share your extraordinary thoughts’ section below.  You’ll be glad you did.

Thank you for stopping by and leaving your sweet thoughts.

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Comments

  1. Debbi Saunders says

    Thank You God…..
    1. for a wonderful, fulfilling first week of school!
    2. sitting on my porch talking with my Son….
    3. a wonderful relaxing and restful weekend…..
    4. beautiful sunny, breezy weather….
    5. for the wonderful work you are doing in several of my friends lives…..
    6. for the wonderful work you are doing in my Life..
    7. for faithful, supportive prayer partners….

  2. Debbie says

    Thankful for you Diane! I just answered 7 things on your last weeks post so I’ll skip this time,
    although I am thankful every day for all the wonderful blessings God has bestowed upon me!
    I hope you don’t have to move away from your sunsets! Enjoy!

  3. Gwen says

    I liked this week’s post!!
    Password: Thankyou
    Wow. And it’s so true.
    I have so many blessings
    1. A big g break through in how to deal with something I have no control over–reach up and give it to God and ask others to help me do this–all because of Hosea 1&2–THANK YOU GOD!!!! A weight is lifted!!!
    2. My Mom miraculously was placed where we needed her to be though it was an impossibility–Thank you so much for this miracle Lord!!!!
    3. A bit of relief in pain for my hubby and a good report on counts after his cocktail shot at his cancer doctor!!!! This is a miracle. Yes he’s already sore from this shot but good counts!! Praise You God!!!
    4. It’s quiet right this minute
    5. Adjusting to my alone life day by day yet true friends uplift me. Praise God!!!
    Tired now

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