Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits and blessings which you have given me, for all the pains and insults which you have borne for me. Merciful Friend, Brother and Redeemer, may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen
We thank you God,
for creating the world
and for preserving it until now.
We thank you for the regular return of day and night,
and of the seasons,
and for the dependability of nature and of time.
We thank you for memory,
which enables us to build on the experiences of the past;
for imagination,
which admits us to a wider world than we could otherwise know;
and for foresight,
by which we plan for the future.
We thank you for your patience with us in our failings;
for friends and family with whom we can celebrate our successes;
and for those closest to us who support us in our times of need.
Bless this meal and us gathered here.
Bless those who have little food or friends to comfort them in body or spirit.
Bless those who are unable to be with us this day,
and those who have gone before us in faith.
We ask this in your name.
– Author Unknown
As we enter the season of Thanksgiving, I’m grateful that gratitude is more readily on my mind! A photo of God’s love message to me above on a silent retreat. Grateful for the silence in order to hear our Lord’s voice and see the blessings.
Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have bestowed on my life. You have provided me with more than I could ever have imagined. You have surrounded me with people who always look out for me. You have given me family and friends who bless me every day with kind words and actions. They lift me up in ways that keep my eyes focused on you and make my spirit soar.
Also, thank you, Lord, for keeping me safe. You protect me from those things that seem to haunt others. You help me make better choices and provide me with advisors to help me with life’s difficult decisions. You speak to me in so many ways so that I always know you are here.
And Lord, I am so grateful for keeping those around me safe and loved. I hope that you provide me with the ability and sense to show them every day how much they matter. I hope that you give me the ability to give to them the same kindness they have provided to me.
I am extremely grateful for all of your blessings in my life, Lord. I pray that you remind me of just how blessed I am and that you never allow me to forget to show my gratitude in prayer and return acts of kindness.
Thank you, Lord.
– By Kelli Mahoney
As we complete the stressful election cycle in the United States, let’s remember and be thankful that Christ offers us peace. Through Him by accepting reality and seeking wisdom, we walk the path of serenity.
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,
Courage to change the
things I can, and the
wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as the
pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this
sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make
all things right if I
surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy
in this life, and supremely
happy with Him forever in
the next.
Amen
Reinhold Niebuhr (1926)
We have exercised our right to vote for a leader of our nation and to have our voices heard with our ballot. What a gift to have the freedom to do so. Despite our politics and our agreement with the elected candidate, it is our duty to be united for the health of our country. Let’s pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our leader!
We pray O God of might, wisdom and justice, through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with your Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the president of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness and be eminently useful to your people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality.
Excerpt from Archbishop John Carroll’s a “Prayer for our Government” in 1791.
God has never stopped being good. We have just stopped being grateful.
God isn’t just a beacon of hope; He is the very essence of it. And He generously pours it out, desiring to fill us completely with joy and peace. The key? Trusting Him. It’s like presenting our empty cup – the more we trust, the more He fills it.
But it doesn’t end there. This promise assures us that we’ll be so filled with hope that it overflows, impacting everyone around us. The source of this abundant hope? The Holy Spirit working within us.
Lord, no matter where I find myself or what I am facing, make me remember by trusting in You my reservoir of hope can always be replenished. Let Your hope overflow in my life, consuming me with gratitude. Amen
Gratitude is a virtue we need to always strive to cultivate in our lives. We are called to always be grateful to God for all that He has given us, even when we don’t understand what He is doing in our lives.
Our entire lives and all that we have are from God. He is the source of all gifts, of grace, of our happiness, and of our salvation. There is a lot to be grateful for.
Are you making a special effort to thank God daily? We can offer our gratitude when He has given us what we have prayed for, when He has answered our prayers in unexpected ways, or when He has given us what we needed before we even asked.
Over the next nine days, we will pray the Novena of Gratitude, giving thanks to God for all the blessings we see from Him and for those we do not see.
Lord, help us grow hearts of gratitude. Heal us from our lack of gratefulness, especially in light of Your faithfulness. Amen
Heavenly Father,
We come before You with hearts full of gratitude. In a world filled with chaos and uncertainty, we thank You for Your constant presence and unwavering love. Your Word reminds us to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Your will for us in Christ Jesus.
Lord, we acknowledge that true gratitude comes through the victory of Jesus on the cross. We cannot be grateful in everything by our own strength, but through Your Spirit, we can develop hearts inclined toward thankfulness. Help us to consistently express appreciation for both the big and small blessings in our lives.
As we face fears and stressors, remind us that our gratitude stems from Jesus’ triumph over sin and death. May we always see Your goodness, count our blessings, and endure tough times with a thankful heart. Let our lives overflow with thankfulness, focusing on Your goodness regardless of our circumstances.
In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen
Intercessory Prayer for Provision
Heavenly Father, I intercede for those who are in need of material or financial provision. Supply all their needs according to Your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings upon them that they may not have room enough to receive it. Lord, be their provider and protector, their source and sufficiency. May they seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness and trust that You will add all these things to them. May they be content with what they have and share generously with others as You have blessed them. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
This prayer is based on Philippians 4:19, which assures us that God will supply every need of ours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Open our hearts and minds Lord to see as you do and the courage to act as you would.
For Courage to Do Justice
O Lord, open my eyes that I may see the needs of others,
Open my ears that I may hear their cries;
Open my heart so that they need not be without succor;
Let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong,
Nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich.
Show me where love and hope and faith are needed,
And use me to bring them to those places.
And so open my eyes and my ears,
That I may this coming day be able to do some work of peace for thee.
– Alan Paton, South Africa, United Methodist Hymn
Smitten With Goodness 