Thanksgiving

I love the Thanksgiving holiday time. The decorations, the aromas, the weather, the family time. It’s all full of satisfying moments. One of our family traditions as we are gathered around the table is to have everyone tell what they are thankful for. It’s a special time of reflection and praise to God. Not all families can do that, so I don’t take it for granted, and this grandma’s heart is full of gratitude at such times.

I know it’s not that time of year now, but that’s what comes to mind when I consider the third letter in our ACTS model for prayer. I hope you’ve read the last two blogs on Adoration and Confession. Now we are at T, which stands for Thanksgiving. It’s an important part of our prayer because it reminds us of all that God, through Christ, has done for us.

Before we get to our many petitions, we need to remember to be thankful for what God has already provided. James 1:17 says: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (KJV). The J. B. Phillips translation puts it this way: “But every good endowment that we possess and every complete gift that we have received must come from above, from the Father of all lights, with whom there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency.”

I know that sometimes we need to cry out to God with a quick petition. And thankfully, He’s always listening. But during our prayer times together or in private, we need to come with a thankful heart.

Here are some good examples from the Apostle Paul.

2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV) – Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Philippians 4:6 (NIV) – Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Colossians 1:3 (NIV) – We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.

If we could ever thank God for everything, the list would never end. It would take more hours than we have. But here again, we can consistently utter our appreciation to God with a quick little “Thank you” for His small and big favors. And thanking the Lord in the presence of others is a good testimony. How many times will you thank Him today?

“All by Grace” from “A Song of Love”

https://donnakrieger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/05-All-by-Grace.mp