Counting your blessings is good for the soul. When you’re struggling financially, it is good to think back upon similar times and how God provided. When you send your child off to college, it is good to be reminded how God has already cared for them over the course of many years.

As we look back on God’s goodness in our lives, the way we look forward is changed. Reflecting on God’s goodness helps us to anticipate even more goodness in the days ahead. It is true for us as individuals, but it is also true for us as a denomination.

We should expect that God is going to bless and use the Presbyterian Church in America in ways we have yet to foresee. Why? Because that’s exactly what He has already done.

Consider what God has done since our first General Assembly:

• The number of churches has grown nearly fourfold.
• The membership among PCA churches has grown tenfold.
• There are 619 long-term missionaries serving in 102 countries.
• Reformed University Fellowship is now present on 170 campuses.
• We have a college, seminary, conference center, foundation, and publishing house, all of which serve the broader church.

As we gather to hear reports and vote on overtures, we often focus on the trees and lose sight of the forest. It is helpful to look back on what God has done since the first Assembly so we may look forward with eagerness toward what He will do as we convene in one short week.

Of course, there is also much to anticipate in terms of personal encouragement as we reconnect with friends and fellow laborers whom we have not seen for some time. Over meals and through conversations, we get to multiply our joys and reduce our burdens as we share them with one another.

Here are three things to do in preparation for the upcoming Assembly:

1. Think back on your fondest moments from previous Assemblies. What encouraging conversation took place or what lifelong friendship began through a committee assignment? Praise God for creating moments like this.
2. Pray for God’s blessing on our gathering and our business. Ask Him to give us a spirit of benevolence toward one another whether we are at a microphone or at a meal.
3. Come prepared to conduct the business of Christ’s church. Believe, like the 387 elders at the first Assembly, that the decisions we make will yield fruit for years to come.

For more on the PCA General Assembly, go to www.pcaga.org.