For These Reasons, Lord, We Thank You! (Part Two), Part 2

When the script of our large doesn't play out. It's difficult to maintain a heart of gratitude.

In fact, suffer and come short on cash. When our children make costly decisions outside our control. Sometimes it's much easier to question God, give him thanks, today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll presents his fifth and final program in a brand-new miniseries devoted to the subject of gratitude, even when giving thanks is hard to title this message founded on Psalm 139. For these reasons, Lord, we thank you. We are our father for the month, you should interests of your will and plan right down to the very details of our lives from conception to the end of our days from the womb to the tomb you were there you are ever aware you were touched with the feelings of our infirmities. You care about the things that make us anxious you meet our needs to remind us again and again that you are here now ever available, full of compassion marked by mercy and always grace. Thank you for giving us what we don't deserve. Thank you for doing so. In such a bountiful manner that we we run out of ways to express our gratitude at this time of the year were especially aware of your provisions and we need give us the grace to endure the strength to be sustained by you to trust you to lean on in the name of Jesus we pray. Everyone said to download his searching the Scriptures.

Studies going to Insight world.org/studies title this message are these reasons, Lord, we thank you for fearfully and wonderfully made within the when you stop and realize that that's so, so tiny leads to all of that wondered David doesn't go long before verse 14 he has a burst of praise to God, thank you, thank you for making me so wonderfully complex goes back so as you watched me as I was bringing forward in utter seclusion as I was woven together in the dark of the womb in our earliest days and hours actually of life, God is there shaping us forming us making us who we would become. He goes on and looks at life after birth.

Did you notice in verse 16. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out your Bible reads ordained good word there before a single day. It passed he engaged in are what my dad used to call our put together. He is determined because of our skeletal structure are size our height and that gives your kids encouragement.

Let's say you've got one who is 6 feet seven in middle school. She's a girl.

Guess what Jesus ago Psalm 139 13 to 18. This is not a freak of nature.

She's exactly the height or God wanted her to be. There's a purpose there's a reason there's a difference in this is a great moment for me to stop comparing this to say to parents about still doing occasion when I speak to them in the listen somebody my age don't compare report cards, it proves nothing except that you can read it doesn't help any kid, especially the one who doesn't bring home a boring report card. My brother, who had a IQ approaching genius true I think is 168 172 some ridiculous number and he would he would bring home the same letters will be waiting a month after month, month that might never go look at that variety. I offered long letters seem to value the letters that I often why is he compared the two, my brother was interested in science and the things of son and he still brilliant. I love them dearly. We no longer being compared those hard for my folks and my sister and she knows my sister but my sister never like to study that much and so my dad paid my brother to be her tutor. The problem was. She hated my brother. So when you hate your tutor.

You don't learn very well.

My brother brought back the buddy said that there's a five dollars she can't learn.

No she says I won't learn, because I hate you. That would be her response, loving family, delightful time. My brother be in their play better. Risk is minuet box open general on the piano. My sister and I were in their doing dishes, singing, you are my sunshine or whatever. Different different kids.

When I got the high school they thought I'd be as brilliant as my brother is popular is my sister and all I could do was stutter.

You did not get my words out. And thanks to a wonderful high school teacher I learned to speak. How helpful was that Mimi didn't even know the contribution he was making to my life as another subject, three different kids born from the same womb born in the same place.

My dad used to brag same grammar in which you were conceived. You were born. My mother never liked that he told people that, but but he was proud of little blue tiny garage apartment in Ocampo text three kids made by God planned by God to be used for his purposes. Every day of our lives recorded in his book.

I never knew my sister would die before my brother or I my brother's older and I am not let such a great life that I deserve to live longer. She's terrific. By the way, don't get me started. She was a terrific athlete. She she was All-City in volleyball and swimming and popular everywhere she went.

So they expected me to be a little bit of oral and a little bit of Lucy and I was none of either here I am taken algebra teachers is really going to use it right. I'm really used algebra a whole lot of my life. Some of the subject.

I'm not made to be a mathematician, my brother could do that stuff think about something else to build his own radios. Unbelievable. Not really. So way God made you see, we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and look in verse 17 how precious are your thoughts about us, oh God, you really book for all of us made all of us. There's no reason to doubt your importance or your the reason for your being here your significance.

God made you, you made by God and it reads I can't even count those thoughts they outnumber the grains of sand when I wake I am still with you remarkable stop and think you are the height you are because of God's plan in your life you have the color of skin.

Because of God's plan for you in your life you have the color of hair, but he used to. The color of hair that God wanted you to have the color of eyes. The God what you have the type of personality interwoven within you, are innate abilities and intelligence capacity and level artistic gifts that others don't have, and others even have more some of you have athletic skills and you can just shine when you get in that field of athletics, others are not coordinated at all. Some evidence of determination and others are emotionally frail and there there there given to much more delicate form of life or way of thinking is the way were made, how priceless or his thoughts had numerous or his plans for us. How near and dear he remains to us realizing how thoroughly and beautifully were made. David pauses and makes a final prayer. Verse 23 search me oh God, the one who makes us is certainly able to search.

He knows every particle of our being search me oh God know my heart I got doesn't search so he can learn he never learns anything is omniscient. Remember, he searches us so that we can learn the condition of our hearts. He can reveal to us the truth. She's able to search under every rock of cover-up every closet, every room of our house every secret, every passing thought even those are anxious for us. Search me oh God, and no my heart and test me and know my anxious thoughts for not literally. The Hebrews is any way of pain in me and that if trysting were to put it.

Anything that pains you in my life shown me he does that. I've asked the Lord to do that in my life, and there have been times that he's reveal things that have been there for some time and I never realized it until I come to them and genuinely said show me anything that brings you pain within a matter of minutes. It's like it's clears the screen.

We look's clearances clears that hands in front of us and then leave me along the path of everlasting life. Help me heavenly father to shape my life according to your plan, which is always perfect. Now I've saved something important to last, to the last not only affect but also a story to story my message today is really politically incorrect because we live in a day when life really is not that valuable while one of the most unprotected and scariest places to be, is the womb of a mother for her helpless child awaits birth to breathe and to carry on life that began nine months earlier, there are those who will take that life in the last term, or even after birth, of all things. But you see, Psalm 139 is so pro-life, you can't see any other position that you could defend how grateful we are that our mothers had us when they didn't have to have us years ago a couple married in the Great Depression, 10 months after their wedding day, she gave birth to her firstborn.

13 months later she gave birth to her second born the first barely a toddler and along comes a second she wasn't too strong and didn't do real well with small children. Her husband traveled quite a bit selling insurance, and so he was on the road a lot.

She was alone a lot in the place where they lived was small and they didn't have much money and adding a child only added to the stress of the Great Depression, which must've been a terrible time and then wouldn't you know it before their fourth anniversary January of that year, 1934 she's pregnant again abortion at that time was illegal, but it wasn't impossible. You could get one. There were physicians who would perform that but you just had to do so and hiding and you told no one but she chose not to do that sickly struggling financially strapped. She and her husband decided were Christians we are to accept this. Even though this baby wasn't planned by us. Obviously you was by God. So in October 1934 I was born because that is my family story. The first two children were, shall we say, planned, but as my mother reminded me rather often.

You are mistake she I'm sure meant that nicely, but just didn't sound quite like you would hope, but I grew up realizing I was a mistake in the family, but in God's book all about days were written exactly as he would have me live the same for my brother in the same for my sister. We were close. We sang Trios together. We used to stand on the counter, read Homer's haversack's pharmacy and seeing how child right in the Fuehrer's face was a great trio we sang for ice cream cones and played together did all consult together but we couldn't of been more different.

All three of us engaged in ministry. My brother, over 33 years missionary in Argentina. My sister, over 20 years with women of faith.

I've been involved in ministry for not quite 60 year and here we are coming from a little financially strapped family and little tiny garage apartment L Campo, Texas, by the grace of God. This is true in your own life you realize God's sovereign plan is at work he gets all the credit all the glory. Even in the life of a mistake, like being a mistake. I come to think that's that's good that means they didn't plan real hard to have me a sort of went high and from then on. Oh the changes over the grace that brought salvation's plan. I speak to you today though it is not about me this about you and what you need to hear some of you.

Quite likely, or right there. You may even be carrying a child you had planned, but God had planned you maybe weren't ready for what it would bring. That's part of his plan.

Having you not ready requires you to trust him like my mom and dad did when they had no way of knowing what the future held social great moment for you to give thanks for your precious mother, who bore you and rearview and trained you in a day when parents really sort of glossed over like necessary evils when in fact we are the secret of the next generation and the next and the next I got you shoot to help young mothers and mothers to be, to learn from what we have learned that God is at work even when we can't see the plan unfold on, by the way, since were here together great moment for me to tell you that the Savior is available to each one of you maybe you didn't know what you may be a little like my physician. Our physician who helped in the birth of our firstborn, you may just think the risen to God and all you have to do is look at your hands and realize just from the wrist down your miracle what your hands could do in the eyes with a can see the years, but they can hear your life is a gift from God. I great that you give it back to him in faith and trust is to care that right now that with me.

Would you say you're just sitting alone in this big room and just you and your thoughts. Think back.

Can you return to a time when you trusted in Christ. I don't mean you could name the hour the day or the date the dust. That's not important fact is you remember when you in Christ, began to relate to one another. You believed in him. If you can't remember that that ever happened. It probably didn't, so this is a great moment to take care of that simple words in a prayer Lord, thank you for making me. Thank you for my birth.

Thank you for giving me my life and I want to give it to you want to trust your son is my Savior is like my physician did all alone. I believe in him now trusted Jesus take them as my own. He will hear you and he will come to live within you will forgive you of all those things in your past that bother you as far as East is from West. He will remove them from human use.

From this day on trust now to him who is able to guard us from stumbling to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding great joy.

The only wives glory matches forever and ever were without everyone's a man teacher, Chuck Swindoll, including a special five-part study founded on Psalm 139. He titled this brand-new miniseries.

For these reasons, Lord, we thank you and please stay with us because Chuck will return in just a moment with the closing comment here on Insight for living. To learn more about this ministry.

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