© Jan Richardson (click image to enlarge)
O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good;
for God’s steadfast love endures forever.
—Psalm 107.1
From a lectionary reading for Lent 4: Psalm 107.1-3, 17-22
Reflection for Tuesday, March 13 (Day 18 of Lent)
The author of this psalm remembers what the people of the Exodus—like us—sometimes forgot: that the antidote to grumbling is gratefulness. Offering thanks to God doesn’t mean ignoring or glossing over the presence of difficulty or suffering around us or within us. But cultivating a practice of gratitude sharpens our ability to perceive the presence of God in the midst of it. Thankfulness for what God has done for us—out of nothing but God’s sheer and steadfast love for us—helps dispose us toward recognizing what God is seeking to do even now, and it opens us to participate in what God is working to bring about in our lives and in the world.
This day, this moment, for what do you give thanks? As you reflect on this, here’s a thankful song for you, from my husband, Garrison Doles; it’s from his CD Draw Us Closer.
This reflection is part of the series Teach Me Your Paths: A Pilgrimage into Lent.
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