21 February 2023 Anno Domini, the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
“Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: 26The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills:” (Genesis 49:25-26; all scripture quoted is from the King James Version)
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Have you ever witnessed a truly thankful person who was filled with hate? I thought so. We cannot be thankful and hateful at the same time. This hymn was written by Johnson Oatman in 1897 to convince the young to be mindful of the need to be thankful for all things. Oatman wrote more than 5,000 hymns during his lifetime including Higher Ground, and No Not One., The tune is BLESSINGS by Edwin O. Excell in 1901.
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
1 When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
2 Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by. [Refrain]
3 When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain]
4 So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. [Refrain]
1 When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. Life is filled with both the placid waters of pacific seas as well as the storms and billows of the Cape. The smooth seas of our life’s sailing are a blessing for which we seldom return thanks, but we are very prompt to complain to the Lord of our miseries in the storm. The important point we miss is the fact that not only the smooth seas are a blessing, but the gales and blast of the stormy seas are blessings that make us grow in character and courage.
2 Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly, And you will be singing as the days go by. [Refrain]. Our crosses may seem a heavy burden at times, but none bore the burden of that heavy cross Jesus bore for us following multiple beatings and humiliation. Even our burden of the crosses we bear will prove to be a blessing also in the fullness of life. How often I recall in my own life that some seeming tragic event occurred that made me feel ruined in spirit but, later, looking back on that event, I realize that it became a great blessing instead of a curse.
3 When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings, money cannot buy Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain] A happy and contented life can be marred by the spirit of envy. We may have a nice warm home, a cupboard filled with food, and a family enjoying the best of health; but then, we look at our neighbor’s house that may be nicer and larger, his income and position higher than ours, his life filled with luxuries – and suddenly we feel poor by comparison. Envy has brought misery to an otherwise delightful circumstance of life. We must smother the beast of envy ere it raises its ugly and malicious head. It is far more profitable to be thankful for the one bird we have in our hands than the two that are in the bush.
4 So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. [Refrain] A satisfied mind is a great treasure. Pride is parent to many other sins, including envy and covetousness. Pride engenders a constant thirst for more, and is never thankful. “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. 5Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people.” (Habakkuk 2:4-5)
REFRAIN:
Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done. It is nearly impossible to sing this happy and joyful little song without smiling. One point is certain: one cannot count the multitude of blessings with which he has been, and is being, endowed by a loving Father. Do you object? Is not our next heartbeat, our next breath, our next rising with the sunrise – are these not blessings for which we can never fully return thanks nor count? We may always be grateful for the greater blessings of life, but the routine blessing of life itself sometimes escapes our notice.
