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Gleaner / Editorials / A Song of Gratitude
Nov 05

A Song of Gratitude

  • November 2020
  • Elias Zabala, Sr.
  • Editorials

Honestly, I don’t know if I should start talking about the beginning or the end of the year 2020. The fact is, there is not much I can tell you that you don’t already know. The unprecedented crisis that has slowed down the entire planet—millions of people infected by a virus, hundreds of thousands of deaths, the largest job losses ever recorded in history, economic contrac­tion, social distancing, and the highest demand ever for the use of the virtual environment—is perhaps an event that will leave its indelible impression on our lives for generations to come.

The United States of America has recorded a death toll larger than any other country in the world. Family, friends, coworkers, frontline workers, politicians, and other public service personnel have succumbed to the deadly coronavirus. We honor and pay respect to those who passed away and stand in solidarity with their families for their losses.

Most recently, we have witnessed what scientists and health professionals are calling the second wave, or the uprising of new cases, in different parts of the world. We are certainly not looking forward to it.

In contrast to what seems to be the downfall of humanity, there is a very resilient, encouraging, and affirming attitude demonstrated by people in different walks of life. After all the bad news, funerals, job losses, isolation, and Zoom meetings, we must be grateful to God for sparing our lives, for good health, for the opportunity of a new job, for the time spent with family, and for the mere fact that we can continue to praise His name. Psalm 92 is one of those passages I find to be fitting for the time in which we live. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night”—Psalm 92:1, 2 (NKJV).

Each day we see the way God continues to deliver and protect us from evil. He wakes us up each morning with a renewed strength, with a resolute heart to serve Him and humanity, a heart filled with hope in His promises, and a mouth that sings Alleluia to the King. “Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning”—Psalm 30:4, 5 (NKJV).

We are living in tough times, facing economic turmoil, moral decay, social oppression, a pandemic, global distress, and natural disasters but, through it all, we see the hands of the Almighty God always reaching out to all His children.

No doubt, it is He who is sustaining us during this challenging time. “The Lord desires His church to hold forth to the world the beauty of holiness. She is to demonstrate the power of Christian religion. Heaven is to be reflected in the character of the Christian. The song of gratitude and praise is to be heard by those in darkness. For the good tidings of the gospel, for its promises and assurances, we are to express our gratitude by seeking to do others good”—A Call to Medical Evangelism and Health Education, p. 26.

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About The Author

Elias F. Zabala, Sr., is the Atlantic Union Conference treasurer.

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