The human nature is very Oliver Twist, always wanting more and more. That’s the self-ish nature of every human being. Some are so desperately ambitious to achieve more; more education, money, estates, fame, recognition, and accolades, and this is just an innate attribute of every human.
The distinguishing factor that defines us is that some are so driven by more, and some are not so desperate to get more, while the third category of humans is very conscious of this innate character of humans. Hence, they have developed an intentional mental control mechanism that enables detachment from the “more and more mentality-mindset”. This means they have the emotional and psychological intelligence to control these desires and put them under check when they kick in.
However, in the middle of our wants, and desires for more, God the Creator of man, the heavens and the earth desires that we constantly express our gratitude for the things He has done, what He is currently doing, and even in anticipation of what He will do in the future. At some point in the life of King David in 2 Samuel 7:18, he stopped and began meditating on God’s goodness over him. “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?”.
David stopped amid his daily, weekly, and monthly leadership routine and went before the Lord to think about the privileges, blessings, breakthroughs, and God’s hand of protection upon him and he blessed the Lord for them all. At this point, it was not because King David had all his desires and aspirations met, or that he had everything he wanted, but he felt he needed to take stock of where he came from, his present circumstance compared to what the Lord had helped him to accomplish, and his present situation.
However, our natural mind does not want to work this way; appreciating God, because it is a vital key to accessing fulfilment in life. The moment we can look beyond our desires, aspirations, and personal ambitions and focus on how far the Lord has brought us, we are beginning to enter the stable spiritual territory, upon which we operate within the eternal plan and promises of God for our lives; peace, joy, (mental and spiritual) fulfillment and access to God’s presence. For any believer to get into this realm with evidence of the above-mentioned, it requires an intentional self-disposition to regular stops and taking time to meditate on God’s goodness in their life. Psalms 103:1-2; “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits”.
David did take an intentional decision to stop and call the attention of his soul (reminded himself) to how God has been so good to him. This implies that our mind has the tendency to skip all of God’s goodness and faithfulness to us, and that’s why it is a good reason for us to be intentional about this.
As we draw near the end of the year, let us take time to stop and take time to think of how God has been good to us. Even being alive now is a good reason to stop and express our gratitude to God! He is the One Who has loved us from the foundations of the earth, even before we knew Him!
PRAYER
Dear Lord, please help me see and realise that all the good things that you have done in, through, and for me this outgoing year, and even the not-so-good things that I have experienced have all been divinely crafted for my good, to the praise of your name. Amen!
