The Known & Unknown

"What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" Psalms 116:12

As I reflect upon yesterday and I am more assuredly convinced that God loads us down with benefits, my heart is in awe. There truly are many things we miss. I miss them! I find that I take a lot of things for granted without even realizing it. I suppose it's safe to say that we all sometimes overlook some of the benefits we receive when we're living our lives for the Lord.

Consider the single phone call, which can take our breath away and leave us feeling numb. News from the other end of the line can leave us staggering in pain, shock, grief or any number of other emotions that can catch us off guard at times. I'm reminded this morning that the blessings of not feeling any of these emotions can also be counted as a benefit from the Lord. It's those added things the Lord keeps us from that we should add to our list of benefits. The unknowns.

After an extended time of being holed up in our bedroom yesterday evening, my husband finally emerged from our room. I had wondered what was taking him so long, but I was wrapped up in doing my own thing and dismissed it quickly. His words shook me to the core! Just like that. 

My son had been in a wreck. Yeah! Not just any wreck. A motorcycle wreck. I'm sure every mother reading this can relate (cringe) to the sudden panic that surged through my being when I heard those words. 

I listened to the story of how he was merging onto the interstate, how a Mustang came zooming around him, how he locked the brakes up, how onlookers had said he flipped over and over and landed in a ditch full of water. I listened as my husband told me when our son had come to that he couldn't breathe because of the water in his helmet. Then, I faintly heard my husband tell me that our grown, first-born child came out of that incident with minor aches and pains. Suddenly, tears filled this mamma's eyes. I cried because I wasn't there with him, to be sure he was alright. I cried because the story could have ended so differently. I cried from a thankful heart as unto the Lord for keeping His hand on my baby. (I know, he's grown. Won't they always be our "babies" though?)

I didn't know when this was taking place, but God did. Yes, an added benefit of serving the Lord is knowing that His all-seeing eye roams to and fro as He even watches out for my grown offspring each and every day. How He keeps us all from so many unknowns. And the known too. We are blessed beyond out wildest imaginations, folks. Do we truly stop to realize ALL that God does for us on the "normal, ordinary days"? I don't want to take His protection, or any other benefit, for granted.

I just wanted to remind myself, and you too, let's give God generous praise for His daily provisions, protection, favor, etc. How He hath dealt bountifully with each of us! How truly deserving He is of our lives lived wholly unto Him! Even if we're not quite certain "what" to thank Him for, if we just thank Him simply for His daily benefits, He'll know what we're talking about. Both the known and unknown...