Ben Patterson brings out many good insights in his book, He Has Made Me Glad (InterVarsity Press, 2005). Our joy is dependant on the amount of gratitude we feel towards God. Far too often we take God for granted and overlook the enormity of what He had done for us. Patterson writes to correct this thinking and fills his book with Scriptures, his life experiences and stories that confirm his ideas. I particularly like the way he describes God as, “The Happy God”. It is not an image we are overly familiar with yet there is much Scripture that verifies this thought.
Still it is easy to know why we should be grateful yet more difficult to put it into practice. I would have like more practical suggestions to make thankfulness an integral part of my daily life.
Nevertheless I did enjoy Patterson’s book and the reminder it was to remember with thanks what God has done in the past and to look ahead joyfully to what God is planning in the future. I felt challenged to make a habit of being more thankful and therefore more joyful.
