♪ Songs of Thanksgiving and Praise! ♫

As I was heading to my local Super Walmart this morning, I couldn’t help but to sing a song of THANKFULNESS to our God for His goodness to me.  When I drove out of my neighborhood and past the Casey’s General Store (gas, groceries and pizza to go restaurant) just up the road, I asked the Lord to cause me to be a blessing to someone today. 

Once in the store, I found myself quietly humming simple Christian choruses… mostly ones that Piper had written for our Children’s Ministry classes and Vacation Bible Schools over the years.  While we had both written songs for the ministry, Piper had the knack to keep hers very simple, very catchy, very praiseful and very memorable, while I tended to lean toward funny songs that told a story!

I’m not sure if it was just me or not, but most people seemed friendlier today.  I tend to smile and say hello or start up a conversation with people I pass in the aisles and today received many smiles, nods and hellos.  Since I didn’t buy many things, I went through the self-checkout.  At one point I typed in the wrong number for a pair of sweet yellow peppers that I had bought so the head cashier watching over the front end of the store came over to correct my mistake.  I kind of know her a little as we have talked on previous occasions and this time was no different.

I got her to smile and laugh a little and then when I walked out, she went out of her way, with a big smile, to tell me to have a great day to which I returned the greeting and once again, thanked her for helping me out.  Once on the way home, I enjoyed the scenery along the way.  One of the roads that I normally take was closed in an area where there is new construction going on, so I got to discover a new road to my home that was surrounded by beautiful green fields and a mixture of old home and new sub-divisions. 

I never thought I’d hear myself saying it… but Oklahoma is really beautiful in its own right.  It may not be the mountains, hills and ocean that I was used to in Northern California, but Oklahoma’s open prairies, beautiful grasses, trees, multitude of lakes and far less ostentatious and laid-back way of life is becoming more and more enjoyable to me.

I spent most of the day yesterday with our youngest daughter and their two kids and had a blast.  In the midst of one of our conversations, my daughter and I were talking about what blessed lives we have had.  That truth helps me to be assured that God still has good things for me today, in this new chapter of my life... without Piper at my side.  And it was with those encouraging thoughts that I began to PRAISE the Lord and THANK Him for His goodness toward me as I drove home from my grocery excursion at Walmart this morning.

Similarly, the Psalmist also encourages us in Psalm 95:1-7 saying,

“Come, let's sing joyfully to the LORD. Let's shout happily to the rock of our salvation.  Let's come into his presence with a song of thanksgiving. Let's shout happily to him with psalms.  The LORD is a great God and a great king above all gods.  In his hand are the deep places of the earth, and the mountain peaks are his.  The sea is his. He made it, and his hands formed the dry land.  Come, let's worship and bow down. Let's kneel in front of the LORD, our maker, because he is our God and we are the people in his care, the flock that he leads...”  (God’s Word ©)

How PRAISEFUL and THANKFUL are you for all that the Lord has done for you in your life?  Wouldn’t RIGHT NOW be a great time to start lifting up words of PRAISE and THANKSGIVING to Him?  If you don’t want to shout it out like the Psalmist suggested, then how about singing some simple choruses of THANKSGIVING unto Him.  And if that’s not comfortable… than you could simply HUM them like I did in the store today.  I literally walked from one side of the store in the grocery section, all the way to the opposite end where the garden department is, HUMMING Piper’s simple songs of PRAISE and THANKSGIVING… and it was wonderful! 

Ah… come on!  I bet that you have at least ONE favorite hymn or PRAISE and Worship song that you like!  Set your inhibitions aside and Hum a song for Him… and to Him.  I bet you’ll end up really enjoying it, feeling better and best of all… feeling closer to Him!

Have a great day, and as you do… keep EXPECTING His best for your life… while singing or humming a song of PRAISE and/or THANKSGIVING to Him!