Grief, Gratitude & Grace: Part 2

“Receiving the Gift of Grace”

The book of Psalms in the Old Testament is known as the book of prayers & songs.  There are 150 psalms in the Bible primarily addressing the categories of laments or praise & thanksgiving.  The fact is, grief & gratitude are kindred souls, each pointing to the beauty of what is transient & given to us by God’s grace at that particular moment.  In Psalm 77, we read that as the writer petitioned God & shared his pain, he moved toward hope & gratitude for the present by remembering the help, love, & goodness God had done in the past.  In his sharing his pain in the present with God through prayer, he was freed up to remember the grace God had bestowed in the past & gradually a healing spirit of gratitude filled his heart.  As it was for the psalmist it can also be for us in our seasons of grief & sorrow, for God is timeless & ever present with us.

As the creator of all living things, God is present in all things, & thus ever present with us, extending His grace to all life.  We can see & feel Him in every living thing—in trees, in all plants, birds & animals, in water & wind, in human love shared & in the gift of new life, etc., for all life reflects God’s goodness & glory.  When we are suffering & lost, & unable to feel a thankful heart, then we are invited by God our creator to pause & breath in His goodness & look around at the beauty of life that surrounds us & that reflects His glory.  When we see the mighty acts of God in all of creation, we will recognize, remember & celebrate His goodness & His unending love & grace will fill our hearts & replace our grief.  When we live in a spirit of gratitude, every day is a day of thanksgiving.  In this season set aside to focus on thankfulness, may we all join together in this familiar prayerful hymn of praise, proclaimed from grateful hearts: 

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty the King of creation!  O my soul praise Him, for He is thy health & salvation! All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near; join me in glad adoration!

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work & defend thee; surely His goodness & mercy here daily attend thee, Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, who with His love doth befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord! Let all that is in me adore Him!  All that hath life & breath, come now with praises before Him! Let the amen sound from his people again; gladly forever adore Him!!!   AMEN

~Posted by Rev Kathryn Bindig, MDiv. MS; Pastoral Care Minister with assistance from Rich Muscatello; Director of Business Development & Strategy