Grace Notes For Thanksgiving
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles Tags: Bible Lessons on Thanksgiving
Those of us that know anything about music have heard the phrase…….grace notes. I am a musician but have never thought of grace notes in my relationship to God. What are grace notes anyway? They are essentially a type of musical ornamentation. They are a special series of “extra” notes added by the composer or even the performer.
Some grace notes are long and others are short. They can come at unexpected times in the music but add much interest and variety to the music. I have always been aware of grace notes, but just how do they apply to our walk with God?
God provides his children with grace notes. They are little reminders of His mercy and sovereign care for us. These little reminders pop-up in our lives ever so often and provide a reassurance that our Heavenly Father is constantly aware of us and our needs (Matthew 6:7-8).
I like to think of the grace notes of God as His multiplied mercies that come to us in the circumstances of our daily lives. They are small blessings of God. They can be easily overlooked because of the anxieties that beset us every day. But these blessings come in small ways……..sometimes unexpectedly. The loving kindness of a friend; a friendly hand on our shoulder; help we needed that came just at the right time. Coincidence? Hardly.
Perhaps Jeremiah was speaking of these grace notes when he wrote:
“This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:21-23).
As we approach the Thanksgiving season we might be facing great challenges in our life. We might be tempted to focus only on our problems and the circumstances that seem to surround us. Where is God anyway? I thought He was there to help us in times of need.
Yes, life’s circumstances could leave us far being thankful this Thanksgiving. That’s why we need to look for God’s grace notes in our life. It takes a certain amount of discipline, attentiveness and prayer on our part, but when God shows us His mercies, it becomes an occasion to remember long after the moment is gone.
It might be good for us to make our own list of grace notes that God as arranged for our lives. Write them down! This list can be private or something to share around the Thanksgiving table. We find blessings abound even in the midst of trials and suffering. We find evidence of God’s favor when we face our own limitations and frailties. In fact, it’s when we can no longer manage our life, that God’s grace notes become more meaningful.
Yes, we serve a great and good God…………let’s look for God’s grace notes. They are there ornamenting our daily life. Give thanks to the Lord……. for his faithfulness never ends and it is new every morning! (Lamentations 3:23).
—Barbara Hyland, guest writer