Count Your Blessings

Jesus told us that, in this world, we will have troubles. As we go through life, it is inevitable that we will experience difficulties, challenges, discouragement, and even sufferings. But, we should not let those troubles get us down. We should take heart in knowing that Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33). Instead of dwelling on the things that may be going wrong around us, we should look at the good things that God has done for us, the blessings He has bestowed on us. Rather than number our trials and tribulations, we should count our blessings.

In 1897, Johnson Oatman, Jr., a preacher and song writer born in Medford, New Jersey, wrote a hymn that spoke to the idea that, amidst life’s trials and storms, we should count our blessings. The first verse of this hymn says:

In Psalm 103, David tells his soul to bless the Lord and not forget His benefits (Psalm 103:2). God’s benefits are the ways in which He blessed David. David goes on to “count” those blessings. God blessed David by forgiving his sins and healing his diseases (Psalm 103:3). Through His steadfast love and mercy, God redeemed David from the pit of despair, disaster, and death (Psalm 103:4). As David went on listing what God had done for him, it is obvious that he looked at his blessings as outweighing his trials and tribulations.

When we look at the blessings we have receive from God, when we stop to count them all, life’s storms, and the encouragement they bring, will fade in comparison. So, praise the Lord with all that is within you, praise Him for all that He has done in your life. Count your blessings!