“By Him therefore let us offer
the sacrifice of praise
to God continually, that is,
the fruit of our lips
giving thanks to His name.
Hebrews 13:15
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday Praise and a Prayer of Thanksgiving
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you. We praise you for your sovereignty and your holiness. We praise you because you are worthy of all praise.
Father, we always give you thanks, but during this week when we’ll stop for a day to observe all we have to be thankful for, before the turkey and the stuffing and the pie, we want to honor and bless you by thanking you for all you are and all you’ve done for us.
For many it may be difficult to see what there is to be thankful for. Father, give us hearts that are softened toward you and willing to be thankful, even as a sacrifice to you. We pray that throughout the week you would put on our hearts all we have to be grateful for, for every good gift that’s come from you.
Thank you for Jesus and for His sacrifice on the cross that paid for our sins, that He took the punishment that should have been ours. We are deeply and eternally thankful, Lord.
Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit who indwells us and leads us, teaches us, comforts us, strengthens us and fills us with your peace that passes all understanding.
Thank you for calling us your children and providing us with everything we need. Thank you for being with us at all times, never leaving or forsaking us, but constantly shining your light and joy into our lives, especially when it seems as though the world around us is falling apart.
Thank you for your faithfulness to keep every one of your promises, like preparing a home for us with you.
Thank you for the people you’ve placed in our lives, for their love, the spiritual fellowship we share, and the friendship we enjoy.
Thank you for every big thing and every small thing we can sometimes overlook in the busyness of our lives.
Thank you for the sun and moon, clouds and rain, breezes and fresh air, flowers and trees, lakes and oceans, sunrises and sunsets, and even for the pets that make us smile.
Thank you for blessing us so abundantly.
And Lord, thank you for prayer. Thank you for allowing us, through Jesus, to come before you with every need, every desire, every fear, every hope, and for hearing us when we do, and for answering us according to your perfect will.
Thank you, Father. Help us to be a people who are always mindful of your blessings and overflowing with thanksgiving.
In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Your Story, My Story, His Story
“Therefore we also,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him
endured the cross,
despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2
I love books. While I haven’t taken nearly as much time lately to read as I’d like, I have been living out the chapters of my own book.
We all are.
Just like the countless stories we read in the Bible, we each have our own story. Some are more dramatic, some tragic, some adventurous, some joyful, and thankfully, all with a little comedic relief.
All our stories look different, but all have one Author and one Finisher: Jesus.
Long before we were born He knew the story that would be written with our lives. He knew how each chapter would unfold and what would need to take place to propel the story forward, to complete our faith, until our story was finished, our faith perfected.
Sometimes we don’t understand what’s going on.
Why is this happening in my life, and why is it happening now?
And sometimes we can start looking at other people’s stories, comparing ours with theirs, wishing our story had a chapter or two out of their book.
But our God is a personal God, and our story is unique. Our Author takes into account its characters and how and what they need in order to develop, bit by bit, until fully grown.
So while our story may be at times full of pain and questions, we never walk through it alone. Our Author walks with us.
The choice we have is whether or not to walk with Him. To accept the story He’s given us, and even receive it with thanksgiving, knowing that He’s using it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly, to change us, grow us, and mature us until our faith is complete.
And somehow, someway, He is making all our stories work together into one grand narrative that ultimately tell one story, His story. A story of grace and mercy, love and beauty. A story of redemption, faith, forgiveness, strength, and hope.
A story of the gospel, lived out in our very own lives.
One day we’ll see that more fully than we ever can now. Because when the book closes on the story of our lives here, the exciting sequel begins, the likes of which the world has never seen.
So let’s rejoice that we play a part in the grandest of stories, and that our Author and Finisher is with us and loves us to the end.
In Him,
Sunday Praise and a Prayer the Lord Will Be Glorified
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise You. We praise Your magnificence, Your glory, Your righteousness. You and You alone are God and You hold us, with grace, in the palm of Your hand.
You have blessed us mightily over the centuries, providing for us in countless ways, teaching us and leading us out of sin, pouring out Your Holy Spirit for revivals, saving lost souls, and letting the light of your truth shine throughout this country.
And in many ways we have taken so much of it for granted. We have taken the glory for ourselves instead of acknowledging You, instead of thanking You for giving us wisdom, strength, and the freedom to prosper, and the victory we’ve needed, over and over, to remain free.
Instead of acknowledging that it’s You who has allowed us to remain a nation with freedoms we enjoy every day and praising and thanking you for it, we have let the freedoms You’ve given us lead us into the bondage of sin, calling evil good and good evil.
Father, we humbly ask for your forgiveness.
You are a God of great grace and mercy, and we know your heart’s desire is that we repent and turn to You to live rightly because You know sin hurts and destroys us. You know what we need to turn back to you, and sometimes that is suffering.
Father, may we turn to you quickly. For those who know You, may we boldly and without fear proclaim Your name, glorifying You with grateful and loving hearts that we may be salt and light to the world around us.
Please pour out your Holy Spirit for revival again, to soften hearts and open the spiritual eyes of those who are lost and those who are backslidden so they will turn to You in repentance, acknowledging and receiving You as Lord, glorifying and praising You, so we can be one nation, united, under Your grace, protection, and blessing.
Our hope is in You.
In Jesus’ holy and precious name we pray, amen.
Be Still
BE STILL
AND KNOW THAT
I AM GOD
Psalm 46:10