Seasons of the Soul—Abundance

“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.”

(Psalm 36:7-8, NRSV)

Meister Eckhart, the medieval Christian mystic, said that if the only prayer we say in our lifetime is “thank you,” that would suffice. Many of us never make it around to saying thanks to God. We pray for God to help us only after we’ve exhausted all of our other resources and, in only the most desperate of situations, do we pray believing that God will respond in some way. Even then, by the time the situation is resolved, we have a tendency to think it worked out more as a result of our effort than God’s, so we just move on without so much as a thought or a word of thanks. The tragic truth is that God is a God of abundance who is constantly laying out his gifts before us and inviting us to enjoy his presence, his handiwork, and his unconditional love. Oh, that we would have eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds to conceive of what God has already done for us.

One of the main reasons we are unable to see the multitude of gifts God has placed before us is that we live in fear of not having enough. In viewing our world through a lens of scarcity, we limit our ability to see the majestic and magnificent ways that God is at work in our world. The prosperity preachers get it wrong—God does NOT want to make you rich; although, God is not going to get in the way of that happening. What God wants for you is to experience the fullness of life that comes through gratitude for all that you have. Everything we have is a gift from God. God is just letting us borrow it for a while to enjoy.

Jesus said, “I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). The Psalmist said that all who desire will be sheltered beneath God’s wings where there will be plenty to eat and drink according to God’s steadfast love for us, his children. Open your eyes to all that God is laying out before you…and say, “Thanks!” ~Dale Cohen