Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:3-11
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
- Psalm 118:24 (NRSV)
My sons and I spent a week of vacation with my father. However, I soon became sad when I considered there were only a few days left before we would have to leave him to go home. Early one morning, I heard my father singing: “This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
While I listened to his faithful words of grateful thanksgiving, I was reminded that God does not want our joy to be squelched. On the day we prepared to leave, my father offered a prayer. His words calmed me. “Dear God, thank you for this visit. Help us have grateful hearts for the time we have together.”
Too often we worry about what’s ahead. Or we sometimes hurry through our lives and forget that God creates purpose in the heart of each moment. When we are open to the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives, God can guide us and provide opportunities for us to recognize when we have been blessed. Then, God can reward us with a grateful heart as we learn to trust and obey our Creator.
Thought for the Day -
Prayer - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for moments we share with those we love who live far away. Help us feel your peace when it’s time to leave them, and allow us to live with gratitude. Amen.
Prayer focus - Families vacationing together
