I’M A LUCKY MAN
Reading
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
I have a goodly heritage.
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
For you do not give me up to Sheol,
or let your faithful one see the Pit.
You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:6-11
The meditation of David
I’m a lucky man –
so much to be thankful for,
so much to celebrate,
my life running over with good things!
All right, I’ve not got everything, admittedly,
and yes, perhaps I would change the odd detail
given the chance,
but nothing major,
certainly nothing to fret over,
for when I stop to count my blessings,
weigh things up in the balance,
I realise how truly fortunate I am.
I should never have forgotten, of course,
but I did,
and I do,
time after time,
to my shame not only failing to be thankful
but actually complaining,
bemoaning my lot,
dwelling on the bad rather than the good.
It’s crazy, I know,
but we all do it, don’t we? –
so much taken for granted,
unrecognised,
unappreciated;
so feeble a response to so vast a treasure.
Probably it will always be the same,
despite my best intentions,
the gratitude I feel now
evaporating yet again before I know it.
Probably I’ll still end up feeling sorry for myself,
looking enviously at my neighbour,
muttering that life’s not fair.
But today at least I want to give thanks,
I want to celebrate everything in life that is good and special,
and, above all, I want to praise God,
to whom I owe it all.
Prayer
Lord,
we have so much to thank you for,
yet all too often we take it for granted.
Instead of counting our blessings,
we dwell on our problems.
Instead of celebrating all you have given,
we brood about what we might yet have.
In our pursuit of illusory dreams of happiness
we lose sight of the gifts each day brings,
the countless reasons we have to rejoice.
Forgive us for forgetting how fortunate we are,
and help us to appreciate the wonder
of all we have received from your loving hands.
In the name of Christ.
Amen.