Count Your Blessings

The other day I was scrolling through one of the Christian pages I follow on Facebook, and I saw someone ask if anyone knew of any podcasts that could uplift her because she was feeling down and needed help in her walk with Christ. Then she continued on to say that she had listened to so many that are always telling what and what not to do and she felt like she was being attacked instead of helped. Overall, she just wants to know how she can be happy and at peace. And her comment really touched my heart. My compassion led me to mention my podcast to her, until I realized that I myself didn’t have any episodes on happiness and being joyful! So, I began to search through hymns for the best song to fit this topic. And what other way to feel happy and at peace than to “count your many blessings [and] see what God has done”?

This hymn, “Count Your Blessings”, was written by Johnson Oatman Jr. in 1897. I find it interesting that his father was one of the best singers in their town, Medford, New Jersey, but he didn’t inherit this trait. However, he ended up becoming one of the most famous songwriters, writing over 5,000 hymns. That itself is a blessing! Just because he didn’t receive the one talent that was expected of him to have, he was blessed with another that allowed him to spread God’s Word to many across the globe.

Before dissecting this hymn, I would like to read two scriptures that I feel fit the theme of this song perfectly. Psalm 103:2 reads, “Blessed the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” This verse is pretty much self explanatory. The psalmist encourages us to remember and be grateful for all the blessings and acts of kindness that God offers to us. It’s a call to be mindful of God’s goodness and to continually praise Him with a heart full of gratitude. The next scripture is 1 Thessalonians 5:18. And it reads, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” This verse calls us to maintain an attitude of gratitude in all circumstances. It is a reminder that, regardless of what we go through in life, being thankful, we acknowledge His presence and authority, and it helps us trust in His plan for our lives, even in challenging times. 

Now that we have our minds prepared and are hopefully in a good mood at this point, let’s dive into the hymn and discuss underrated blessings and the joy of what the Lord has done and is doing for us. Verse one begins, “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.” First off, if you’ve been listening to my episodes long enough, then you know it’s Term Time! Because what in the world is a billow? Well, the most fitting definition I’ve found is “a great wave or surge of water”. And it makes perfect sense because a tempest is a “violent storm with strong winds, rain, thunder, and lightning”. So, the first part of this verse illustrates how life can be extremely hard at times. Think about how scary storms can be. Hearing the strong wind blow things across your yard. Trees falling. Loud thunder and forceful lightning. But how much scarier would this be in the middle of an ocean, where its pitch black? The only light you have is that on your boat, and the flash of light the lightning may cause here and there. The strong, uncontrollable waves. You don’t know which way your boat is going to turn, or if it’s even going to hold up at all. You become “discouraged, thinking all is lost”, as written in the next part of this verse. Life actually can get this bad! And for some of us, it probably already has before. This is when we turn to God, and focus on the positive rather than the negative. 

“Count your many blessings, name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.” I’ve always tried my best to live by the phrase “look at the bright side”. Because with the God we serve, there is ALWAYS a bright side! Paul reminds us of this in Romans 8:28. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” Taking the time out to count your blessings one by one during a trying time can help you to be grateful for things that you’ve often overlooked. One of my favorite underrated blessings is simply being in my right mind. I can recall this one time I was pouring my heart out to God about the pettiest little thing. But in that moment, it felt like my world was ending! The more I talked and complained to Him, the more I realized how silly it was. Then I stopped and said these exact words, “Lord, thank You for even giving me the ability to complain. Thank You for my mindset of coming to You whenever I want to complain. Thank You for the ability to even understand these emotions.” There are a lot of people out there who can’t even speak, but have so much to say. There are some who sadly don’t even know to turn to God because they’ve never been taught to do so. Friends, in our times of trouble, we should be grateful that we’re even alive to endure such things. We should be grateful that we’re in our right mind to even understand that, “this is not okay” or “something needs to be done”. And since we are blessed in knowing this, we should take action by counting our blessings and being grateful that we are able to do so. Yes, counting blessings is indeed a blessing in itself! It works every time, trust me. 

Let’s move on to verse 2, this next one is quite similar. “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.” Now I’m sure that all of us can answer yes to that first question. So I think a better question would be, “What do you do when burdened with a load of care?” I used to have a terrible habit of wallowing in my sorrows. I could have the most minor inconvenience come about, and I would sit there and dwell on it, burying myself deeper and deeper into a hole that only the Lord could get me out of. Then, I leveled up. I stopped wallowing, and started trying. I would try my best to find the root of the problem, and weigh my options to fix them. This would work from time to time. But most times, it would just be a temporary fix. That’s when I began doing what Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:7. I casted my anxiety on the Lord. No matter how big or small the issue was, I would take it to Him. I would tell many people that the Lord is my Diary. And I had a notebook dedicated especially to Him. Telling Him of every worry that I had. Every concern and every fear. And eventually it got to a point where I began going to Him about more good things than bad. And I actually began thanking Him for the bad things, because I know that they happen for a reason. Yes, the bad moments in our life are a blessing! There’s always a purpose behind the things God allows us to go through. And that purpose is always for our good. But we won’t see that if we’re focused on the negative things that are taking place in our lives or the lives of the ones we love. And this leads me to the next question asked in this verse: “Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?” 

And once again, I know that many of us can answer yes to this question as well. But I want you to try and start thinking about it this way: What are you carrying on your cross? Are you carrying things that won’t matter tomorrow? Are you carrying things that are out of your control? Are you carrying things that aren’t even beneficial in your journey to Heaven? If so, I can relate. And your first step should be to let those things go, and hand them over to the Lord. In Psalm 55:22, King David tells us, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous be shaken.” Ask the Lord to help you clear your mind so that you can focus on the good in your life. Ask Him to remove any irrelevant thoughts or concerns that may be hindering your walk with Christ. Ask Him to help you to center your mind on things above as mentioned in Colossians 3:2. After you finish with that, “count your many blessings and every doubt will fly. And you will be singing as the days go by!” Taking the time out to see all of the good God has done in your life as opposed to the hostile things He has allowed to happen, will surely have you feeling grateful and much more thankful for the trials that you are enduring. Thank the Lord for even knowing Him. Thank Him for loving you and always being available to hear you no matter what. Thank Him for being so trustworthy and reliable!

Let’s continue on to verse 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.” Now, my advice to you would be to not look at others and the material things they have or how far they have made it in life. At least not in an envious way. The phrase "comparison is the thief of joy" isn't directly found in the Bible, but the concept is certainly addressed. The Bible often speaks about the dangers of envy and comparing oneself to others. For example, Galatians 6:4 advises, "Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else." But I know this can be easier said than done. So if the time does come to where you find yourself feeling down because you see that others are up, remember what is said in the latter part of the first sentence of this verse, “Christ has promised you His wealth untold.” Try to keep in mind that everything on this Earth is temporary. Those nice cars you see others driving, the beautiful homes you see them living in, the fancy clothes they wear, none of that is going with them when they die. And none of it is aiding them on their way to Heaven. As Oatman wrote in the latter part of this verse, “Money cannot buy your reward in Heaven nor your home on high.” And as spoken by Jesus Himself in Matthew 6, beginning at verse 19. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” We have to try our best to not get caught up in the life that we have here, and keep our minds focused on the better one to come. Which carries us into verse 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.” I feel like this verse begins to sum up the central theme of this hymn. God has the last say so. And He always wants to see His children happy. We have to trust and believe that things are working for our good. Recognizing and naming our blessings can lead to a deeper awareness of God's work in our lives. The Bible speaks to the role of angels in offering help and comfort. Psalm 91:11 tells us, "For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways." This verse reminds us of God's promise to watch over us and the role of angels as messengers and protectors. By focusing on the blessings we receive from God and remaining open to His guidance and care, we find help and comfort for our journey. It's a call to trust in His presence and provision, knowing that we are not alone in our walk through life.

And to sum up this joyful hymn with the chorus: “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings; see what God has done.” If you’re listening to or reading this episode right now, I want you to find time to write as many blessings as you can think of, no matter how great or small. And start with the blessing of a working hand and the ability to write! If you’re unable to write for whatever reason, thank Him out loud. And begin by thanking Him for your vocal cords to be able to do so. If you’d rather thank Him silently in prayer, thank Him for His ability to hear our every thought, and know our heart. There is so much to be thankful for, and so many underrated blessings that we overlook every single day. I thank Him for my listeners and my readers. I thank Him for the zeal and dedication I have to this podcast. I thank Him for His word and the technology we have that makes it so easy for us to spread it. And I want to thank you for talking with me. Let’s walk with Him.