I watched with anticipation as my father led her by the hand down the stone path until they reached the porch. He opened the door for my daughter to walk inside the playhouse he originally built for me and then restored for her to enjoy. There was a kitchenette, a table and chairs, and the wooden bench my aunt hand-painted purple with unicorns just for me. Dad had been talking for weeks about the work he and other family members were putting in to have it ready for Hayden’s visit. The joy it gives him to give her gifts she will enjoy is evident and almost tangible.

I can’t help but compare it to what the Bible says about God, our heavenly Father. James 1:17 says that every good and perfect gift is from above. EVERYTHING GOOD. Anything good. All from Him. If we stop to attribute every good thing in our lives and around us to His doing, IS it that hard to believe He is good? Even if we consider the mercy in our lives, any time we’ve been able to avoid tragedy, it’s staggering how good we have it. And when it hasn’t been avoided and we find ourselves in the midst of tragedy, knowing we are not alone in the pit, it still points to His goodness.

Psalm 145:16 makes another bold claim in reference to God’s goodness: “You open your hand, you satisfy the desire of every living thing.” Hold up. David is not playing: EVERY. LIVING. THING. To satisfy every desire means that He knows every desire. There is a lot packed into that punch. Just like my father spent time, effort, and advanced planning to have the playhouse ready for our visit, Psalm 139:16 tells us that God knows each one of our days before one of them comes to pass. That is some serious anticipation.

There’s so much reprieve offered too. I am not an outlier. Neither are you. No one is when the category is “every living thing.” The word “except” is nowhere to be found in that passage. He knows and satisfies my desires too. He gives me good things. So much good.

My responsibility as His child, the recipient, is to develop the discipline of gratitude. It gives perspective. It orients you to eternal reality.

I challenge you this week: write down 3 things daily you are grateful for. Adopt the practice of looking for the good and thanking God for it. Over time, it will transform our prayers and our time with God. It gives a new lense. We can envision Him holding our hand, walking us down our path, eager to show us what blessings He has for us.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭ESV‬‬