Daily Devotion
Multiplied by the Power of Thank
You
By Paul Dailey
Who would have ever thought that such a simple phrase
could be so powerful? I have recently begun to discover, or perhaps
rediscover, the power of thanksgiving. Have you ever been through
one of those seasons when it seems like no matter how hard you
climb, you just keep sinking further and further down into a bottomless
pit of misery and confusion? How does the old adage go …
“One step forward and two steps backward?” I’m
sure you know what I mean.
Well, it was in the middle of a particularly hard day that I
decided to give my dad a call. I got his voice mail because he
and my mother were out of town celebrating their 32nd anniversary.
I left a completely pitiful message. I was crying and complaining
about how everything was falling apart. My budget was stretched
tighter than Santa Claus’ waistband, which was putting an
enormous strain on my marriage. It was beginning to affect our
daughter because my wife and I were under so much stress. Worst
of all, neither of us could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
But how many of you can testify that God always makes a way when
there doesn’t seem to be a way? Can I get an Amen?
Several days later, my dad finally caught up with me on my cell
phone while I was at work. In hindsight, I can see that God orchestrated
circumstances so that I had about 30 minutes alone. I was free
so that my dad was able to share with me some great wisdom. Praise
God for godly dads!
He began to speak to me about being thankful. He began to teach
me that there is more to being thankful than just thanking God.
He shared that it is possible to say “Thank You” without
actually being a thankful person. Before I knew God, I thanked Him for what He did in my life. But as I have
gotten to know Him, I spend more time thanking Him for who He
is.
With every passing minute, the light in my soul began to shine
brighter and brighter as God spoke through my dad. He was pouring
His Words of grace and mercy over my heavy heart. Let me tell
you! Within those 30 minutes, I became a different man. My dad
asked me again, as he had on a previous occasion, “Do you
want the money or do you want the faith?” Well, the right
answer was obvious, albeit a little harder to grasp. Of course
I wanted the faith. Any amount of money will always run out, but
when you get a grip on real life-changing faith, you have tapped
into a resource that makes a penny look like you’ve hit
the jackpot.
In 2 Chronicles 20:21, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, appointed
singers to go before the army and sing this mighty hymn of praise,
“Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”
As they sang, the Lord fought for them against their enemies by
causing confusion in the enemy’s camp so that they turned
on one another. Judah collected massive amounts of spoil from
the enemy without one single man raising his sword.
The same thing began to happen with my wife and me the very same
day we set our hearts to thanksgiving. Not only did the cloud
of despair and hopelessness lift immediately, but within one week,
God orchestrated a $750 a month turnaround in our budget. As if
that wasn’t enough, God set my wife free from a job she
had grown to dislike and gave her three other job opportunities,
with less hours, and significantly more money.
But before we saw any of this, I began to call all my friends
and tell them how good the Lord had been to us. I wanted everyone
to know what a loving, forgiving, gracious, compassionate, patient,
merciful, kind, gentle, faithful, amazing, and wonderful God He
is. David, the master Psalmist, wrote in Psalm 42:5-6:
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within
me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior
and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will
remember you…
So, if you are facing a mountain in your life that seems insurmountable,
just begin to worship God for His awesome glory and majesty. Many
times, the only thing holding you back is your lack of thanksgiving.
It is evidenced in the Word time and time again; when God’s
people remember God and worship Him with thanksgiving, He begins
to work on their behalf.
Dig back in your memory to those things He has been to you in
the past. Thank Him for what He has already done and what He has
promised He will do. I assure you, if you do this, the cloud will
lift off your life and you will begin to see God’s promise
of blessing come alive. That is “multiplication by the power
of thank you.”
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