Have You Said Thank You Today?

Psalm 54:
Come with great power, O God, and rescue me!  Defend me with your might.  Listen to my prayer, O God.  Pay attention to my plea.  For strangers are attacking me; violent people are trying to kill me.  They care nothing for God.  But God is my helper.  The Lord keeps me alive!  May the evil plans of my enemies be turned against them.  Do as you promised and put an end to them.  I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.  For you have rescued me from my trouble and helped me to triumph over my enemies.

     David is praying to God for safety from his enemies.  He knows God is helping him and will continue to do so.  He knows God keeps His promises.  And God has promised to put an end to those seeking to do David harm.  David even says he will offer a voluntary sacrifice to God, praising His name for rescuing him and helping him triumph over his enemies.
     How many times have we been in David's shoes?  Surrounded by pain, hurtful people, grief, etc., the list goes on and on.  We plead for God's help which He gives in wonderfully unexpected ways and then....we simply move on with life, forgetting to praise God for His rescue of us in times of trouble.  We forget to say thank you.
     Now if your mom or your grandma for that matter is anything like mine, you don't accept something without saying thank you cause if you did, you would most assuredly get "the look" and trust me you don't want "the look".  How many times has God wanted to give us "the look" for not saying thank you to Him?

Challenge for the Day:
Praise God and tell Him thank you for rescuing you from whatever troubles you've been in in your life.  Praising God will bring a new light of joy to your day, giving you a wonderful reason to smile.

For those of you who are in the midst of troubles right now, know that God loves you.  Here are some words of encouragement in this time of your life:
Verses of Hope:
Psalm 32:8
The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you."
Psalm 29:11
The Lord gives his people strength.  The Lord blesses them with peace.
Psalm 18:28-31
You light a lampo for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength, I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God, except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock?
Power Verses:
I Thessalonians  5:16-22
Always be joyful.  Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.  Do not scoff at prophesies, but test everything that is said.  Hold on to what is good.  Stay away from every kind of evil.
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strenght and shield.  I trust him with all my heart.  He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.  I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. -Would also make an excellent prayer in times of trouble.