"Almost Too Much To Tell"
Jan. 20, 2020
You have multiplied, O LORD my God, Your wondrous deeds and Your thoughts toward us; none can compare with You! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.
—Psalm 40:5 (ESV)
Are you still excited about the gifts you received for Christmas? Perhaps you sent out thank-you texts or emails—or you employed that nearly lost art of hand-written notes—detailing the wonderful aspects of each gift. There is almost too much to tell!
Are you still excited about the best gift of all, the gift of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? We only recently wrapped up our celebration of His birth. Are we still talking about that precious present? No earthly gifts can compare to the forgiveness and eternal life that are ours by God's grace through faith in Jesus.
The psalmist is excited about all that the Lord has done, the countless gifts received from the hand of God: "You have multiplied, O LORD my God, Your wondrous deeds and Your thoughts towards us." What were some of those wondrous deeds? God drew the psalmist up "from the pit of destruction" and set his feet "upon a rock." God put a new song in the psalmist's mouth so that people would "see and fear and put their trust in the LORD" (Psalm 40:2-3). The Lord's wondrous deeds "are more than can be told."
After the first Easter, the apostles shared the psalmist's joy. The Lord's wondrous deeds were more than could be told. Jesus of Nazareth, crucified and buried, had risen from the dead. There was almost too much to tell! Peter and John, speaking boldly to the religious leaders who ordered their arrest, said, "We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). Jesus, the promised Messiah, had risen from the dead. The apostles had seen Him in the flesh! They had talked to Him and eaten with Him. They had touched and handled His nail-scarred hands and feet. They couldn't stop talking about it.
We have the same good gifts, the same good news the apostles knew. God has multiplied His "wondrous deeds and thoughts toward us." In a most wonderful Christmas gift exchange, Jesus took onto Himself our sin and the penalty of death that we deserved and dressed us in His righteousness. God drew us up "from the pit of destruction" and set our feet firmly on Jesus, the Rock of our salvation. Jesus has risen from the dead, and His victory is our victory. There is almost too much to tell!
No thank-you notes or texts are needed here. Every breath and moment of our lives express our gratitude for the gifts of forgiveness and life that are ours through faith in Jesus' Name. With the psalmist we say of God's wondrous deeds: "I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told." There is almost too much to tell, but like those bold apostles, "we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard!"
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son and for Your wondrous deeds that multiply in our lives each day. Accept our grateful praise in the Name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- What good things has God done in your life? How do you let Him you know you acknowledge that?
- God gives good gifts. Does it seem some people get more gifts than others? Why might this be?
- How can one mention the good gifts of God to others without sounding churchy or overly religious?
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
What good things has God done in your life? How do you let Him you know you acknowledge that?
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