The Gift of Being Known

My constant boast is God. I can never thank You enough! PSALM 44:8 TLB 

Have you ever sat alone and pondered how much God has blessed you, looked around at God’s blessings, and just smiled big? You can almost feel your heart swell with gratitude. God might be the only one who sees you beaming, but you can be assured He’s smiling with you. It blesses Him to see us humble, thankful, and happy. 

Thankfulness is encouraged, expressed, and elevated to high priority throughout God’s Word. It’s important to God and it’s imperative for us. Being thankful brings joy. Being thankful builds confidence. Being thankful belies any temptation to think that the good things in our life come from what we’ve done. Just the opposite is true: “Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God, the Creator of all light, and He shines forever without change or shadow” (James 1:17 TLB). 

No one can out-give God. No one can give as wonderfully or as wisely as God. Knowing us best, He knows what we desire, what we love, and what we need. He knows what we need before we ask Him, and He knows what we need before we realize we need it. He prepares us for the obstacles ahead by growing our trust and courage. We look back and think, Wow. God made me brave for this—this challenge only He saw coming. 

The best earthly gift givers are the people in our lives who truly know us. Being known is one of love’s most beautiful expressions. It’s amazing to realize that even our people—our family and friends—are good gifts from God. He knew who we needed and why they’d become a part of our journeys. 

Every gift He gives is for His glory, and our gift back to Him is keeping our hearts filled with gratitude. 

Dear God, Every day is another day to be thankful and praise You. Your gifts reveal how intimately You know and love me, and my heart is full. 

This is an excerpt from The Mountains are Calling: 90 Devotions for Peace & Solitude – a devotional journal now available on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.