Darling let me count the ways God has blessed me, as we commemorate the end of this year. If you are familiar with the words “darling let me count the ways” then you must know about Toni Braxton. In the second verse of her song “How Many Ways” she penned a line. And it is the one which we choose to borrow at this time of year. As you may know, it is traditional at the end of every year, to attempt a listing of what God did during a given year. You can look at it as a blessing stock taking.
It is for this purpose that we paraphrase Toni Braxton’s line, “Darling Let Me Count The Ways.” Because, according to Romans 8:15, God is our Darling. It says For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” And the term Abba represents a high level of intimacy – such as darling. However, while Toni is counting the ways she loves, we want to count the ways we have been blessed by our Darling Father.
Right Time To Count The Ways
As you know, this is the conventionally right time to look back on the dying year and thank God. We take time to count the ways God has been good to us. Or, as the hymn writer says, we should count our blessings and it will surprise us. All the same, there are some of us who have been schooled in blessing-monitoring. 
Which means that we do not need to get to the end of the year to do one whopping evaluation. Because, year-round, we are able to count the ways in which our darling has blessed us. In our parent Ministry, we are adept at counting the ways.
As I watched a Shriners Hospital advertisement the other day, my heart was bleeding because the children that the hospital helps truly need major support. Immediately, God reminded me of healthy, well-formed babies. Probably the reason He did that is that we take two arms, two legs, intact internal organs for granted. Can you imagine how many millions of dollars the parents at Shriners would need to take care of each child? But thank God for Shriners. As they raise funds, they are able to relieve parents of such crushing expenditure. And yet, there are parents with normal children who need to be encouraged to thank God. Consider this your encouragement.
Counting The Ways
An elderly woman received a phone call the other day. Her daughter was on the other end of the line. The conversation started with the usual “how are you?” to which the woman responded with “Fine, and thanking God.” Believing that there had to be tangible reasons for which to thank God, the daughter asked “What for?” She perhaps should never have asked because her mother started on a lengthy catalog of reasons. There is her life, her health, her breath – that she can draw a breath without mechanical aids. She went on and on counting the ways God had blessed her.
As she spoke, she remembered a story doing the rounds on social media. It may or may not be true but it helped to make her point. The man in the story developed a chest problem for which his family members rushed him to hospital. After a couple of hours, on oxygen, he felt better. However, when he heard the size of what he owed, the man reportedly started to cry. His medical team tried to explain about a payment plan for the $5,000 bill.
Counting The Cost Of Air
However, the man quietened sufficiently to explain that his tears had nothing to do with the bill. 
What then, the medical team wondered. His response got each of them to start counting the ways God had been good to them. They drive to and from work, sometimes dosing from sheer exhaustion. And they are still here; they have not perished in a road traffic accident. Most of them work with infectious cases and they have not contracted any such illness. There was quiet in that emergency room that night as doctors and nurses started to regret their ingratitude to God.
On that very night, several of them committed to “Darling Father, let me count the ways you have blessed me. You see, the man had been weeping because he had been taking God’s goodness for granted. He had been breathing free of charge for several decades. Three hours of bottled oxygen cost him $5,000. The cost of the air he had breathed and taken for granted all those years would reach into the billions. The mother kept going for a while before the daughter stopped her. “I understand,” she said. Here is hoping that she truly does, seeing as young people think they are invincible.
Darling Let Me Count The Ways From Alzheimer’s
God reminded me the other day to count the ways He has blessed me. I was walking past a series of beautiful houses. These five big buildings sat on beautifully manicured lawns. As I walked, a lady came into view, pushing a stationery-laden trolley. She was the only person in sight. Even at that, there was not a single sound. the birds did not even chirp. I looked again, struck by the deathly quiet. And as I passed by the sign, telling me that it was an Alzheimer’s facility, God spoke. My darling Father pointed out that some of those in that graveyard silence were younger than me.
However, while I am sane and present, they were essentially absent. They cannot recognize their own children and there I was, striding along the sidewalk. The lesson was extremely poignant. Consequently, as soon as I reached a shade dark enough to allow me read the characters on my phone, I stopped. I felt a distinct need to not keep the message of God to my self. I thought of a friend of mine; we are about the same age. She also walks and has her full mental faculties. Only after I sent the text did I resume my walk. That episode has stayed with me, regularly prompting me to count the many ways my Darling has blessed me.
Please Count The Ways God Has Blessed You
My hope is that this will similarly prompt you to count the ways God has blessed you. Not only at the end of the year, like now, but always. Do you pay to pass water? You wont know how important that is until you see a vehicle that provides mobile urinary services. All that such service providers can claim is that they will treat their clients with dignity. Imagine!
And yet you pass urine with natural dignity. Certainly, I hope you are ready to count the ways God has been good to you. Or as the songwriter says, “Count your blessings. Name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”
God Inhabits The Praise Of His People
There is another reason I don’t wait to count the ways God has blessed me. And it is not an entirely selfless reason. Think about it. When somebody appreciates you for a kindness, what do you feel like doing? You want to do good to them again. You really enjoy being appreciated, don’t you? Well, it is no different with God. He actually lives within the praise of His people. Therefore, the more you praise Him, the closer He is to you. You know of course that the closer He is, the greater your joy – fullness of joy, is how the bible characterizes it.
Take some time now to practice thanking God for all the ways He has blessed you. I say you should practice because it may not come to you until after some practice. But trust me, if you keep practicing, you will become an expert at being able to count the ways God has been good to you. And that is when you will find out the secret of praise. When you praise, you often do not need to ask before God gives you what you need. He enjoys being appreciated. Who doesn’t?
We Wish You A Happy And Prosperous New Year,
Thanks for the important reminder. It is a feast for thought going forward.