The Rarest Gift

We have very few gifts we can give to God. He is the great Giver! He has given all. We are the receiver.

But there is one gift rarely given to Him.  He tells us what gift He wants, but still only a few will give it.

This is such a simple gift but oh, so hard to release! So costly and it has to be given at a certain point or it is not a gift.  And that is why I think it rejoices His heart.

To give Him this gift seems to open the heavens to pour out His best on the one who gives it.  This offering can change circumstances, right wrongs and open doors that had never been there. It frees the angels to do their ministry. It removes every obstacle to God’s blessings.

The gift holds a secret.  When you give what you want to give, that is a gift of love. But when you give what you don’t want to give, it is a gift of extraordinary love. And this gift is one you can give God in the worst moments of your life, in the lowest point and deepest suffering.

This precious gift amounts to just a word or two, but often it will be the most painfully wrenching two words you could ever speak.

These words spoken to your God mean you will obey Him no matter how strange His orders. These words you give Him are the deepest commitment of love to Him, and that is why He is so responsive in hearing them.

These two words tell God you know He is in charge and that you believe in Him no matter what.

This gift is costly and gut wrenching. And though it is so small a gift as to seem like nothing, it literally changes the world . . . and you.

I had been in a great suffering and I went to a convent for the weekend just to pray and rest. My anguish increased by being alone there and facing it squarely.

And the Lord seemed to say, “You know what to do, I have been teaching you how to respond to this crisis.”

Yes, I knew what He was saying. I had seen this call of His everywhere. I was reading about it, and it was taking deep root in me. But not here? Surely, not in this situation.

“Now thank Me,” came the quiet Voice, unmistakable.

Oh, how could I say those words? I was in despair and saw no way out. And I was angry with Him.  Thank You now?

I got on my knees and with fury, I spat out the words. “Thank you, I thank You for this, I thank You for the suffering and I thank You for the impossibility of it.”

And I ended this so-called prayer with a parting shot: “I have done MY part. Now YOU do Yours!”

And did He ever!

I climbed back in my bunk to stare at the ceiling.

In the space of mere seconds a Presence came over me and I began to oh-so-calmly see back at the time of my mother’s death, at all the circumstances and horrors.  And the Presence of the Holy Spirit took that scrambled time and began to sort it out to an understandable picture. He was taking unfathomable pieces in a pile and putting them together like a puzzle. More and more the picture began to emerge of the meaning and of the tragedy, that little girl suffering grief alone. I seemed to be looking into the room, watching her loud cries and the Presence with me filled the scene and transformed that memory of anguish to peace, comfort and safety.

Thank God in everything
[no matter what the circumstances may be,
be thankful and give thanks],
for this is the will of God
for you [who are in Christ Jesus]
1 Thessalonians 5:18 Amplified Bible

I had obeyed and thanked God by the sheer act of my will. I did not feel thankful – the opposite was the case. I was furious with Him for allowing me to suffer when I had obeyed Him constantly. He owed it to me to give me an easy life. (Well, I was young at the time, a mere 30, so what did I know about God? The Real One?)

You could say I thanked Him but that I didn’t mean it.

No, I thanked God though I didn’t FEEL it. I didn’t feel thankful but I decided to BE thankful by blank choice. And it opened heaven over that ceiling! I began to understand my present situation and that girl was healed and comforted by a miraculous Presence of her God, the One she did not know then but I knew Him NOW.

The Great Father knocked on the door of my heart and when I opened it a crack to say a weak and petty thank you for it all, He came in with flooding light and I was changed…forever.