1 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:04,180 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,810 --> 00:00:14,290 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk Devotional. We're glad to have you 3 00:00:14,310 --> 00:00:19,020 Speaker 2: listening with us. Today's topic is about remembering God's goodness. 4 00:00:19,820 --> 00:00:22,460 Speaker 2: We'll return with the devotional after a brief message from 5 00:00:22,540 --> 00:00:39,830 Speaker 2: our sponsors. What Childhood Prayers Teach Us About God's Goodness. 6 00:00:40,530 --> 00:00:44,730 Speaker 2: Written and read by Hannah Benson. Bless the Lord, O 7 00:00:44,790 --> 00:00:48,610 Speaker 2: my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Forgives all 8 00:00:48,630 --> 00:00:52,750 Speaker 2: your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your 9 00:00:52,790 --> 00:00:56,210 Speaker 2: life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love 10 00:00:56,250 --> 00:01:00,090 Speaker 2: and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your 11 00:01:00,170 --> 00:01:01,870 Speaker 2: youth is renewed like the eagles. 12 00:01:02,260 --> 00:01:02,780 Speaker 1: Psalm 103, 2-5 ESV. 13 00:01:06,260 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 2: How quick are we to remember the sins of others 14 00:01:09,100 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 2: when they have wronged us or to remember the darkest 15 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 2: tragedies in our lives? Even if we long to forget 16 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:19,340 Speaker 2: the terrible things, they don't often easily slip our mind. 17 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,340 Speaker 2: Why is it then we are so quick to forget 18 00:01:23,380 --> 00:01:26,620 Speaker 2: the goodness of God? Why is it more difficult for 19 00:01:26,700 --> 00:01:28,980 Speaker 2: us to remember all the good things God has done 20 00:01:29,030 --> 00:01:33,050 Speaker 2: in our lives? Do we keep count? Do we thank 21 00:01:33,069 --> 00:01:35,990 Speaker 2: Him for the blessings we take for granted? Do we 22 00:01:36,050 --> 00:01:38,789 Speaker 2: remember the prayers we so desperately prayed that we are 23 00:01:38,950 --> 00:01:43,020 Speaker 2: now living? Do we stop to thank the Lord for those, 24 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 2: or do we take them for granted? I often find 25 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 2: myself guilty of this. I can get so caught up 26 00:01:50,820 --> 00:01:52,820 Speaker 2: in praying for the next thing that I forget to 27 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 2: simply bask in the Lord's presence and remember everything He 28 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:00,630 Speaker 2: has done. There is nothing wrong with praying for something. 29 00:02:01,350 --> 00:02:04,910 Speaker 2: God loves to hear from us. But he also desires 30 00:02:04,930 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 2: that we cultivate a heart brimming with gratitude, remembering the 31 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 2: goodness he has graced our lives with. When I was 32 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,419 Speaker 2: a little girl, no more than seven or eight years old, 33 00:02:14,900 --> 00:02:17,179 Speaker 2: there was a mother cat who'd wandered the neighborhood for 34 00:02:17,220 --> 00:02:20,359 Speaker 2: a few days, and we'd had a suspicion she'd had 35 00:02:20,419 --> 00:02:23,660 Speaker 2: kittens somewhere in our backyard. My dad went out to 36 00:02:23,700 --> 00:02:25,700 Speaker 2: look for them because we weren't going to leave little 37 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 2: helpless kittens alone, if they even existed. And oh, how 38 00:02:30,300 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 2: I prayed they existed. I got on my knees behind 39 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:36,790 Speaker 2: my mom's rocking chair and folded my hands and pleaded 40 00:02:36,830 --> 00:02:40,050 Speaker 2: with God for a kitten. It was such a small 41 00:02:40,130 --> 00:02:44,350 Speaker 2: yet sincere request. Of all the things in life we 42 00:02:44,550 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 2: actually need, jobs, food on the table, clothes, I love 43 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 2: the sincerity and simplicity of my prayer as a little girl. 44 00:02:52,860 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 2: Without a care in the world, I asked him for 45 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,419 Speaker 2: what I truly wanted, told him how I longed for 46 00:02:58,460 --> 00:03:01,639 Speaker 2: a kitten. how I believed and hoped my daddy would 47 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 2: find kittens so we could both save them and keep one, 48 00:03:04,860 --> 00:03:08,220 Speaker 2: or two if we were really lucky. Yet when my 49 00:03:08,260 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 2: dad returned inside the house, he had to break the 50 00:03:10,419 --> 00:03:13,380 Speaker 2: news to this little girl's hopeful heart that there were 51 00:03:13,419 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 2: no kittens to be found. 52 00:03:16,100 --> 00:03:17,220 Speaker 1: I didn't understand. 53 00:03:18,130 --> 00:03:20,350 Speaker 2: Why didn't God answer my prayer with a yes when 54 00:03:20,370 --> 00:03:24,470 Speaker 2: I'd prayed so hard? I couldn't see it then, but 55 00:03:24,590 --> 00:03:27,850 Speaker 2: God knew it wasn't time. At the time, we lived 56 00:03:27,889 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 2: in the suburbs. Only when we moved out to the 57 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,220 Speaker 2: country two to three years later did God see fit 58 00:03:33,260 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 2: to bless us with two little kittens, one of whom 59 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:41,180 Speaker 2: is now a still very healthy 13-year-old cat. I also 60 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 2: recall when I was a young teenager and prayed so 61 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,620 Speaker 2: hard for a dog. For years, our parents told us 62 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 2: maybe someday, but to be honest, none of us knew 63 00:03:49,660 --> 00:03:53,250 Speaker 2: if it would ever happen. But in 2020, when the 64 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:56,690 Speaker 2: world was thrown into chaos and turmoil, God told our 65 00:03:56,730 --> 00:03:59,810 Speaker 2: mom that someday was now, and he directed our steps 66 00:03:59,870 --> 00:04:03,820 Speaker 2: to the perfect little puppy for our family. Simple prayers, 67 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,500 Speaker 2: yet prayers that God answered in his perfect timing. To 68 00:04:08,540 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 2: be honest, as I reflect on these answered prayers among others, 69 00:04:11,780 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 2: I realize how much I take them for granted. Yes, 70 00:04:15,340 --> 00:04:18,180 Speaker 2: I'm grateful, but am I as grateful as I should be? 71 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:21,660 Speaker 2: How often do I stop to remember the prayers I 72 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:27,260 Speaker 2: prayed that I'm now living? Not often enough. Intersecting faith 73 00:04:27,350 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 2: and life. I would challenge you to look at your 74 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:33,500 Speaker 2: own life right now and reflect. What answered prayer are 75 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 2: you living right now? Perhaps the job you have now, 76 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:39,659 Speaker 2: even if it feels stressful at times, is an answer 77 00:04:39,700 --> 00:04:43,020 Speaker 2: to a prayer you prayed years earlier. What about your 78 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:46,540 Speaker 2: spouse who frustrated you this week? Wasn't there a time 79 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 2: you prayed for a husband or wife from the Lord? 80 00:04:49,820 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 2: How many times do we take what we once prayed 81 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:56,470 Speaker 2: for granted? Let us resolve by the grace of God 82 00:04:56,510 --> 00:04:59,849 Speaker 2: to cultivate a heart filled with gratitude for all the 83 00:04:59,910 --> 00:05:01,210 Speaker 2: Lord has done in our lives. 84 00:05:02,390 --> 00:05:03,010 Speaker 1: Pray with me. 85 00:05:04,029 --> 00:05:07,570 Speaker 2: Lord, please forgive us for how quickly we forget your goodness. 86 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:11,380 Speaker 2: Please open our eyes today to see the answered prayers 87 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:15,360 Speaker 2: we are living. Help us to slow down, to bask 88 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:18,140 Speaker 2: in your presence, and thank you for all your blessings. 89 00:05:19,100 --> 00:05:27,529 Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen. If you're looking to grow in 90 00:05:27,550 --> 00:05:29,740 Speaker 1: prayer or start your day with your heart focused on 91 00:05:29,750 --> 00:05:31,599 Speaker 1: the right things, search for Your Daily Prayer in your 92 00:05:31,620 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: favorite podcast app and be sure to follow the show 93 00:05:56,339 --> 00:05:58,909 Speaker 1: so you get a new prayer delivered straight to you 94 00:05:59,350 --> 00:05:59,950 Speaker 1: each morning. 95 00:06:07,100 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 3: Hey friends, it's Kelly from Life Audio. We just launched 96 00:06:10,620 --> 00:06:14,300 Speaker 3: something new. It's called The Good Word, our free weekly 97 00:06:14,339 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 3: newsletter built for people who want to go a little 98 00:06:17,260 --> 00:06:22,230 Speaker 3: deeper in their faith. Think devotionals, guided prayers, curated podcast 99 00:06:22,260 --> 00:06:26,409 Speaker 3: recommendations and a little community all in one place. No ads, 100 00:06:26,750 --> 00:06:29,210 Speaker 3: just good content. This one means a lot to us. 101 00:06:29,610 --> 00:06:32,370 Speaker 3: We built The Good Word based on the audience survey 102 00:06:32,610 --> 00:06:34,770 Speaker 3: so many of you filled out a few months back. 103 00:06:35,089 --> 00:06:37,659 Speaker 3: You told us what you wanted and we listened. So 104 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,659 Speaker 3: thank you truly for helping us shape this. Head to 105 00:06:40,700 --> 00:06:43,270 Speaker 3: the link in the show notes and join our community today. 106 00:06:43,589 --> 00:06:44,490 Speaker 3: We'd love to have you.