Psalm 147:7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
make music to our God on the harp.

It isn’t surprising that Psalms, the hymn book of Israel, contains many admonitions to sing, and this Psalm mentions many reasons to do so – some of which might seem odd to us today. Modern city-dwellers don’t praise God for weather events! Rather, we tend to grumble when things come out of the sky. That shows how divorced from nature we tend to be, and that isn’t healthy emotionally or spiritually. We aren’t to worship “Mother Earth,” as some people tend to do, but we are to recognize that the various cycles of nature are an indication of God’s very intentional concern for us. It has only been fairly recently that scientists have realized that there are countless variables that, if changed even slightly, would make life impossible on this planet. That we exist at all is miraculous, but we generally don’t recognize that fact. The current phenomenon of El Nino should be a reminder that we live on a planet that is constantly changing in various ways, and we have very little influence over it, whatever some people say. To me, this is part of fearing the Lord, as I’ll be speaking on Sunday. We need to be aware that we are totally dependent on God, in ways and to degrees that most people ignore and many try to deny. God is incredibly gracious toward us, even when natural disasters happen. What we tend to lack is the fundamental humility required to recognize that we don’t deserve any of God’s goodness toward us. When we have that humility, the gratitude that results will give us peace and joy that can be had no other way.

As I am constantly reminded, pride has been a snare to me all my life, so I have no high horse from which to look down or talk down to others. I too need to remember that my every step, my every breath, is a gift from my Creator. Physical, health issues are a valuable reminder of that. There is a Japanese proverb that says that only the sick understand health, and there’s a lot of truth to it. This summer Nagasaki has had very little rain, which has made people who usually only complain about rain understand that it’s something to be thankful for! I am as prone as anyone to take things for granted, and I need to be careful about that. The recent gathering in Osaka, with families with severely handicapped children, has given me a fresh appreciation for the fact that my children and grandchildren are generally quite healthy, whether they realize it or not. If everything went “perfectly” all the time, I’d be a totally useless, entitled bum! I’m reminded of the saying that after a certain age, if we get up in the morning and nothing hurts, we wonder if we’re still alive! I need to walk in consistent awareness, appreciation, and gratitude for God’s grace toward me and those around me, seeking to lead them to do the same, so that we may be the children God desires and deserves, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that the family from the US arrived safely yesterday, and for the good fellowship we had with them. I do ask Your clear guidance for them as they seek to know where You want them to serve You in this nation. Thank You for the other people who are on their way. I don’t know how we’ll get everyone in here Sunday morning, but You do, so I choose to trust You. Thank You that Your plans for us are good, acceptable, and perfect, whatever they might look like to us in the moment. May we overflow with gratitude and praise, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!