The Magic Words
Friday, July 26, 2024
“Gratitude is the currency to acquire a greater measure of God’s presence.” – Os Hillman
Last week, I had the privilege of accompanying my son Chris on a trip to Banff, Canada. He earned the free trip by reaching certain sales targets with his company and when his wife’s passport didn’t arrive in time, Chris asked me to fill in at the last minute.
Chris already had his ticket, routing him from Orlando through Denver to Calgary, but my ticket took me from Orlando to Montreal to Calgary. On my Air Canada flight, all of the announcements were made in both English and French; and once I arrived in Montreal, virtually everyone was speaking French. Since I took four years of French in high school, I took the opportunity to see how much I still remembered.
During my 4-hour layover in Montreal, I passed through customs, did a little shopping, and ate lunch. Each time I asked a question or answered one myself, I tried my best to use French. For instance, “S’il vous plait” was what I said when I asked my waiter for more water and “Merci beaucoup” is what I said when he filled my glass to the brim.
As parents, we teach our children to say “please” and “thank you”. However, as adults, we all too often forget those “magic words.”
God, who is our Heavenly Father, expects us to approach Him with respect and courtesy. You don’t just barge into His throne room and start making demands unless, of course, you want Him to turn a deaf ear to your requests. Instead, we are to ask Him politely and reverently to meet our daily needs and to answer our heartfelt prayers according to His perfect will. And when He does exactly that, we should always say “Thank You” in whatever language we choose.
Whether it is “Muchas gracias” in Spanish, “Dankeschon” in German, or “Grazie mille” in Italian, be sure to thank God whenever He answers your prayers as well as for His manifold blessings, including (and especially) your salvation.
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15 (BSB)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
