“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He MAKES me to lie down in green pastures.” Psalm 23:1,2

God has an interesting way of looking out for my best interests. I am careful with money and don’t like to spend it on something unnecessary. However sometimes I don’t know what is necessary, but God does and makes sure I get it.

I mentioned earlier losing my cell phone; I was not happy with that, but thanked God anyway. And He did have a plan. I got a used replacement phone which turned out to be much better than the one I lost, including longer battery life! God said, “Time for a new and better phone.” That was His plan—and in each unpleasant happening He always has a plan for our good.

Then there was the muffler event. My old van had become louder and louder; a young friend looked at it and said we could use some muffler repair material to fix it. It certainly was quieter when he was done,  but, as I backed off the lift, the muffler caught on something and was ripped in half! Well, another chance to trust God and offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

My young friend offered to find and put on a new muffler. When he was done, not only was the van quieter, but because the old muffler seems to have been clogged, it ran much better, has more power and now gets better gas milage. Thank you, Lord, for making me do that!

Now I am facing another challenge with an unclear outcome. For a renovation project I working on, I must get approval from the health department, which, uncharacteristically has demanded a test of the present septic system. Hmm, another unnecessary expense, from my point of view. But God has a plan, so I thank Him, and wait in anticipation to see what He’s going to do.

All this confirms the truth of Psalm 50:23: “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors God and opens the way for God to show him His salvation.” (Paraphrase)