Psalm 40:5

Psalm 40:5

"Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and the THOUGHTS which are to US-WARD: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered."

MANY, O Lord, are the times that You have lifted us up out of infections, head and body aches and other pains, seasons of heavy fatigue, and other "strange" symptoms and reactions. Many a hard night we've had like Job who said,

"..wearisome nights are appointed to me. When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone?" and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day." (Job 9:3b-4)

But here I sit this morning refreshed after a decent night's sleep, and I must bow before You and PRAISE YOU once again for this little bit of RELIEF from the last few days of "BODY TORTURE"! Thank-You, LORD, for the "SEASONS OF RELIEF"!!!!

Wonderful WORKS You have done over and over again in bringing "little healings" to our bodies in big and little ways through Your gentle touch and herbs, supplements, and medicines which You supply. We praise Your name!

Lord, I looked up the word "thoughts' in my Strong's Concordance, and two of the companion words were "PLAN" and "PURPOSE". Thy THOUGHTS (plan and purpose) are to USWARD! What a comforting thought it is to know that ultimately illness is Your PLAN and that there is
a PURPOSE even if we may not understand it all YET.

Two verses come to mind:

"How precious also are they THOUGHTS unto ME, O God! How great is the sum of them!" (Ps. 139:17)

"For I know the THOUGHTS that I THINK TOWARD YOU, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end…and I will turn away YOUR CAPTIVITY… (Jer. 29:10,13)

What a wonderful promise You've given that SOMEDAY we shall be sick NO MORE! Amen!

Lord, I am reminded of the prayer I prayed earier this week when I was in the midst of heavy fatigue:

"But I am poor and needy; yet the LORD THINKETH UPON ME: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God." (Ps. 40:17)

Thank-You for answering this prayer, and MANY, O Lord my God, are they wonderful WORKS and deliverances which thou hast done. Even in the midst of trouble and pain, I know, Lord, that You are THINKING ABOUT ME, and that is a WONDERFUL WORK as well! Yes, to know that
You are THINKING ABOUT ME is to know Your PRESENCE, and this is the most wonderful work of all!

You are THINKING about ME, and You are also thinking about Your other hurting sheep, too, and You KNOW US all by name as Jn. 10:3 says. You reminded me of this truth yesterday when the chickens all came running as the girls began throwing food for them…As chicks they were cuddled and loved, and even now some of them will hold perfectly still upside down in the girls' hands. They were protected from chicken snakes in a box in the girls' bedroom at night, and those that were hatched by incubator were fed crushed grasshoppers from the girls' own hands. Of course the girls know each chicken by NAME – even little "Cutie Pie" who turned out to be a rooster! (It was so funny to hear the girls say, "She is learning to crow!")

Anyway, each of these many precious baby chicks who are now hens and roosters has a special NAME..Even though some of the chickens are indistinguishable to me, my girls have known them intimately since the day they were hatched. Yesterday they began naming them for me
one by one…"Dot", Twinkles", "Peepers", "Boss", etc., and I was once again reminded that YOU KNOW US intimately by NAME, also, if we are one of Your little ones. Yes, You are THINKING about us. Your THOUGHTS are to USWARD! Amen!