The Wonder of and Gratitude for God’s Love

“When evening comes, collect your thoughts and ponder over the entire course of the day: observe God’s providential care for you; consider the grace he has wrought in you throughout the whole span of the day; 

consider the rising of the moon,

the joy of daylight;

all the hours and moments, the divisions of time,

the sight of different colours,

the beautiful adornment of creation, 

the course of the sun,

the growth of your stature, how your own person has been protected;

consider the blowing of the winds,

the ripe and varied fruits,

how the elements minister to your comfort,

how you have been preserved from accidents, and all the other activities of grace.

When you have pondered on all this, wonder of God’s love toward you will well up within you, and gratitude for his acts of grace will bubble up inside of you.”

(John the Solitary in  THE SYRIAC FATHERS ON PRAYER AND THE SPIRITUAL LIFE, pp 94-95)

You can find links to my other photo blogs at My Photo Blogs.

The Desire to do God’s Will

“We must learn to treat all other situations in the same manner, not knuckling under to our desires, but keeping a tight rein on them, directing them to the one primary aim: to stay within the will of God and to do His will. If we do that, our desires will turn around, becoming good and righteous. We will stay calm in every storm, finding peace in God’s will. In fact, if we sincerely believe that nothing can happen to us except by His will – and if we have no other desire than to be actively doing that will – it is self-evident that we will always get only what we desire!” (Jack N. Sparks, Victory in the Unseen Warfare, pg. 58)