What are the blessings of God?
When I think of the blessings of God, I think they fall in two categories: big blessings and small blessings.
Not big and small in the sense of importance, but big and small in the sense of awareness.
There are some blessings from God that are very apparent:
- Receiving healing from a sickness
- Someone giving you money for a bill that is past due
- Getting a raise at your job
Then there are some blessings that are there, but we may just need to be reminded of them:
- We woke up this morning
- We have food in our fridge and pantry
- We have clean, running water readily available
- We have a machine that washes our clothes and our dishes automatically
- We have cars that can get us from one place to another
When we start really thinking about all the “little” blessings in our lives, it becomes apparent how blessed we really are.
And of course the ultimate blessing we received was the sacrifice that Jesus made for us so that we can live in heaven forever with him and all of our loved ones that have gone on before us!
Why is it important to remember what God has done?
Daily remembering these blessings that God has given us will bring a sense of contentment and peace into our lives.
Remembering what God has done for us will also give us the strength we need to face difficult times in our lives.
David remembered God
How did David beat Goliath?
Did he have a military background that prepared him for this moment?
Did he train for months and months knowing he was going to have to face a giant?
Nope.
He faithfully served as a shepherd.
And in his faithful obedience God was preparing him.
So when the moment came that he had to face Goliath do you know what he did?
He remembered.
But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.
1 Samuel 17:34-37
David was able to beat the giant in his life by remembering all the times God helped him in the past.
Remembering what God had done for him in his past gave him the strength he needed at that moment to defeat the giant before him.
We all have our own giants to face in our lives.
For some people, their giant is a diagnosis. For some, it’s the loss of a relationship or a job.
For me, it was the loss of my 4-year-old son, Sam in 2017.
Whatever your Goliath is, reminding yourself of all the times God has been there for you and blessed you will enable you to keep walking through the hard times in your life.
Psalms to remember
I love the Psalms.
I feel like we can all relate to David at different points in our lives.
David had some pretty awesome verses when it comes to remembering God’s blessings. Here are a few of my favorite:
Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
Psalm 119:1-3
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalm 126:5-6
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
Psalm 34:8-9
Bible verses about God’s blessings
The Psalms aren’t the only places that talk about God’s blessings in our lives.
Here are a few more verses on God’s blessings for you to meditate on:
And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 28:2
And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them
Deuteronomy 28:13
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Action steps to take to remember God’s blessings
So now you know the importance of daily remembering God’s blessings in your life. But what do you do now? How do you take this knowledge and put it into action?
Below I’ve listed 5 things you can start TODAY to help you daily remember everything God has done for you.
1. Start a blessings/gratitude journal
Much like a gratitude journal, a blessings journal is a book you use to actively write down and remember the blessings in your life.
Some people use prompts to remember and journal through and some people just start writing whatever comes to them.
You don’t have to have anything fancy.
- You can go to the dollar store and get a notepad.
- You can find a scrap piece of paper lying around.
- You can use post it notes (see #2 below).
- Or you can even start typing it using Google Docs or Microsoft Word.
However, if you want to get something that’s specific to journaling through your daily gratitude, check these products out:
Christian Gratitude Journal for Women: Give Thanks to the Lord
A 52 Week Inspirational Guide to More Prayer and Less Stress
Women’s Prayer Journal: A Christian Devotional for a Year of Praise, Gratitude, and Reflection
2. Create small reminders
As you start journaling and thinking of all the things God has done for you, I encourage you to not only write them down in your journal, but also write them down and stick them in places all over your house.
You can get some post it notes or index cards and tape. Write down something God has done for you and stick them on your mirror in your bathroom. Or in your car. Or above your kitchen sink.
Just to serve as little reminders throughout the day of all the blessings in your life.
3. Start a new dinner table tradition
I don’t know about y’all but I can always get better at eating around the dinner table. Life can get so busy and it’s so easy to eat in shifts.
Or if you’re at the table, everyone is on their devices or watching TV.
One thing you can do to remember God’s blessings daily is to ask everyone at the dinner table what they’re grateful for.
It can be something big or something little that happened that day.
This is a great way to practice gratitude as a family and to cultivate a heart of thanks in your children!
4. Start praying verses of blessings
The words we speak are so powerful. And God’s word is powerful. So put those two together?
Wowzer!!
I challenge you to start taking Bible verses about God’s blessings and pray them over your family daily.
Here are a few to get you started:
God I pray that you would bless and keep my family. I pray that you would make your face to shine upon us and be gracious to us. God, I pray that you would lift a countenance upon us and give us all peace. Amen. (Numbers 6:24-26)
God I thank you that because we dwell in the shelter of your wings, you will save my family from the deadly pestilence. I pray that you will cover us with your feathers, and under your wings we will find refuge. My family will not fear the terror of night or the arrow that flies by day or the pestilence that stalks in the darkness or the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand, but it will not come near us in the name of Jesus. Amen. (Psalm 91:3-7)
God, my family will not fear because you are with us. We will not be dismayed for you are our God. Thank you God for strengthening us. Thank you for helping us. Thank you for holding us up with your righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
5. Go outside for a walk
Ever since we lost Sam, being outside in nature is one of my favorite places to be. It makes me feel so close to Sam when I’m outside.
I think it’s because that’s what God created. The wind, the trees, the grass, the birds, the clouds. That’s all God.
And when I’m out there breathing in the fresh air and feeling the wind blow against my face? I can close my eyes and almost feel Sam right beside me.
So next time you start feeling discontent or discouraged?
Lace up your sneakers and start walking outside.
As you’re walking start thinking of all the big and little things God has done for you. Even if all you can come up with is your alive and you have food to eat, that’s HUGE!
And once you start thinking of things that you’re grateful for, you’ll feel a little lighter with each step that you take knowing just how blessed you really are.
My sweet friends, we have so much to be thankful for. God has blessed us all so richly! Remind yourself of these things every day and watch your contentment and strength grow as you remember all the things God has done for you!
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