Taking Inventory

 

Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! (Psalm 66:16-20 ESV).

 

When Mary and I lived in Fort Worth, I attended seminary full time and worked part time. Working on campus at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary fulfilled two vital needs. It gave us some supplemental income and I was able to study between classes and work without spending time traveling from one place to another. Mary’s income was the primary source for our needs. She worked at Bearing, Chain, and Supply. As is suggested by the name of the company, they were suppliers of bearings, chains, nuts and bolts for various manufacturing applications. One of the responsibilities I helped with was the annual inventory of the stock. I know much has changed in that task today with the continued development of technology. However, in that day, we manually counted every nut, bolt, screw and washer, along with all the other bigger pieces of inventory. It was often tedious and time consuming. But, it had to be done.

 

Approaching Thanksgiving, I find taking personal inventory, especially of all the “small stuff” is essential to the development of gratitude. We give thanks for the amazing things God has done for this world, for his people, and for us in our personal lives. Notice how our reading moves from adoration to thanksgiving. In the first four verses the psalmist declares how awesome and glorious God is. Then in verse 5 we see a transition to “come and see what God has done.” From this point on, the psalm reads like an inventory of God’s gifts and amazing help. The psalmist describes how God saves and watches over his people, even in the context of trouble and disappointment, and the psalmist shares what God has done for him personally as well.

 

Psalm 66 teaches us the value of being specific when we give thanks to God. Many people like to keep a prayer journal that helps them pay attention to what God is doing in their lives. They keep a running list of God’s blessings and work for them, and they review their list in thanksgiving to God. In our prayer life, gratitude can grow in many ways. God is incredibly gracious and generous. The One who gives so abundantly is most worthy to receive our abundant thanks. Take inventory in your life and you will see the gracious supply God has given.