Tag: Thankful

Sunday Praise and a Prayer of Praise for Our Portion

Posted on by Dorci

“Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
Psalm 16:5-8

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you, Lord, that of all the treasures in the earth, you are by far the greatest, and we are blessed beyond measure that you have given us the treasure of your presence, your love, your forgiveness, and your salvation. There is nothing else we need or want but you. We praise you for the peace you’ve poured into our lives, especially at those times when a storm threatens to take us, but your peace delivers us.  We praise you for counseling us when we don’t know which way to go, what to do, or what to say.  No matter how long we wait, you always lead us at just the right time. We listen for your voice as we patiently wait and learn to be still before you. There are many distractions in this life, but we will keep our eyes fixed on you, remaining steadfast until we see you face to face.  You are our portion, and in you we have everything.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Sunday Praise and a Father’s Day Prayer

Posted on by Dorci

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Oh Heavenly Father, we praise you today for your great love, that you have drawn us, adopted us, and made us co-heirs with your beloved Son. What an amazing gift!  Thank you for showing us more and more the height and depth and breadth of what that means not just for eternity, but for here, right now, in our joys, in our pains, in our weaknesses. Thank you for your faithfulness to bring us through every trial, and to discipline us when we need to grow more. Help us trust you as our dear and precious Father as you grow our faith to maturity, and often use ways we don’t understand.  We praise you for your goodness and that your way is perfect.  That you are always with us, no matter what, and that your love never runs out. Thank you, Father, for your grace and kindness toward us, for your gentleness and your constant provision. Thank you for sending your Son, for providing a way to forgiveness and life, both now and eternal. Help us take ahold of your hand and never let go. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Sunday Praise and a Prayer for Peace

Posted on by Dorci

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”  Philippians 4:8-9

 

Heavenly Father, you are praiseworthy.  You are true and noble and right and pure and lovely and admirable, and we choose to think about you and all the ways you’ve shown us your goodness.  You’ve rescued us time and time again.  You forgive all our sins and have removed them as far as the east is from the west, and remember them no more.  Your grace is always upon your children, and your mercy, too. 

You have promised to prepare a place for us with you and to come again for us and take us with you where you are, where there is no more crying or pain or suffering.  Your love sustains us, teaches us, and matures us until the day when your wisdom says it’s time to come home.  Lord, in all these constant ponderings throughout the day and night, you give us peace, and we praise you.  You know the trouble we face in this world, but we know you’ve already overcome it.  Help us cling to you, both in the times when things are going well, and in times when things are hard.

Give us the strength to turn to you when the enemy is whispering in our ears that you don’t care.  That you can’t possibly love us after what we’ve done.  Give us the strength to call those what they are: lies from the pit of hell.  Help us cling to the truth, and where our beliefs are false, we ask that you would change them.  Where we believe wrong things about you, please show us the truth.  And where we believe wrong things about ourselves, please break down those strongholds of falsehood, knowing they keep us from living purely in the victory you would have us.  We give you our minds and our hearts to mold as you will.  We receive your peace, and we give you all the glory.  In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

Land of Freedom

Posted on by Dorci

Thank you, Father, for this precious land you’ve given us, where we are free to worship you, free to carry and read our Bibles, free to tell others about the sacrifice Jesus made for us and them. And where, because of you, we are free to choose to do the right thing, to love and serve others, to know your joy and your peace.  May we never take any of it, or you, for granted.  May our passion for you and for living rightly in you grow every day, and may we take every opportunity you give us to tell others about the depth of your love, grace, and mercy. May you bring revival to this land, Father. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

I Will Give Thanks to the Lord

Posted on by Dorci

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It’s so easy and so natural to focus on the negative.  And there is a lot we could be negative about.

But….

We who are in Christ must never forget – we are of the supernatural.  We are filled with the power of the Spirit of God, and no matter what we’re going through, whether good times or bad, we know our God is with us, providing us a way through by His very presence.  

So we are not just thankful in a general sense, but, having our spiritual eyes and eternal souls awakened, we are able to see and acknowledge that all things come from the hand of a good and loving Father and we give thanks to Him for His provision in our lives.

Ultimately, it is He we are thankful for, for “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…” (James 1:17) And all things, no matter how they look on this side, are being worked together for Good by a masterful Weaver for those who love Him.

It is He who gives sunshine; it is He who gives rain; it is He who gives air to breathe, keeps our hearts beating, and gives them the capacity to love.  It is He who provides for us in a million different ways, and it is He who our hearts and voices are privileged to acknowledge with thanksgiving for all things.

And when we do, it is He who is glorified, and our lives fulfill their ultimate purpose.

There is more that I am thankful for than I could ever begin to list here.

I will start with my salvation.  That story is a miracle all on its own, and when I look back at all that went into it, every person involved, every prayer lifted up, every perfect step taken that lead to that day, that place, that moment, when the Spirit of God overwhelmed me and called me His own, I am overwhelmed by His goodness.

That He would come after me, pour out His grace and mercy, open my spiritual eyes with belief, fill me with His Spirit and love, and call me His daughter, is enough to keep me praising His Name forever.

But that wasn’t enough for Him.  He has continued to do miracles and pour out His blessing in countless ways since that day 27 years ago.  He is my bounty, and I am forever thankful to my El Shaddai.

I know you have much to be thankful for, too, and I’d love to hear it!

What are you thankful to God for?