Johnson Oatman began writing spiritual hymns in 1892. He averaged writing about 200 songs a year, totaling over 5,000 during his life. Some of the popular hymns he wrote included, “Higher Ground,” “No, Not One,” “The Last Mile of the Way,” and the one I want us to think about tonight, “Count Your Blessings.”

If you are a Christian, you have been blessed by God. If you have never obeyed the gospel, you have been blessed by God. If you are rich, poor, male, female, Jew, or Gentile, you have been blessed by God. You see, God is a benevolent God who has, in one way or another, blessed everybody. Jesus was pointing this out when He said about our Father, “…He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Jesus was speaking of the perfect love of God, love that causes Him to act in the best interest of all of humanity, whom He created in His own image.

As Christians, we have been blessed more than those who have not named God’s Son as their Savior, for we have access, not only to the physical blessings that all enjoy, but to the spiritual blessings that are reserved for those who are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Surely, we should count our many blessings.

When should you count your blessings? “When upon life’s billows, you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost…” Remembering how blessed we are in times of trouble can help us overcome the most difficult times. We all get down once in a while. After all, life is sometimes hard and disappointing, and things can happen that could send us spiraling into a state of dejection and despair. If that ever happens to you, stop, and count your blessings, and remember how good God has been to you in the past, and will be to you again in the near future. That will help you climb out of the ditch of despondency into which life has thrown you and rejoice in the Lord once again.

There are other times when you should count your blessing as well. “When you look at others with their lands and gold, think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.” Maybe we will never be rich with material wealth, but one thing we have been promised is a future where we will not want. Jesus said, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven…” Paul spoke of the blessings that we share now and that which we will enjoy later, as the “unsearchable riches of Christ.” These are riches that cannot be destroyed or stolen from us. They are riches that we cannot exhaust but are eternal in the heavens. Do not ever be jealous of what others may have. Maybe we do not have land and gold right now, but we have a land with a street of gold waiting for us in heaven.

“So, amid the conflict whether great or small, do not be discouraged God is over all.”

Yes, God is in control and over all, and He is on our side in life. He is not only a God Who can bless us, He is a God Who wants to bless us. He wants our lives to be good. Concerning His people, He once said to Moses, “Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them…” (Deuteronomy 5:29). Let us walk in the ways of God. He will reward us for it, and then when things get tough, we can assess our lives and count our blessings.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.