Prayer Perfect
"Let my prayer be counted as incense before you. ..." (Psalm 141:2)
In the evening before the children were tucked in bed, we gathered around the Advent wreath for family prayers. Bonnie often had a petition for someone she knew who had a problem. Michael would sometimes confess a small wrongdoing, confident that if he confessed to God, then Mom and Dad would do nothing else about it. Nine times out of ten Jimmy’s prayer would be a heartfelt "Thank you, God, for a lubberly day."
I bow my head in prayer every morning before breakfast, and I’m afraid that while I do tell God thank you, most of my prayer is either intercession or petition or confession. Maybe, subconsciously, I’m afraid that if I ever started listing all the things I’m thankful for, I’d never get to breakfast!
By the time I had thanked God for his love, shown in countless ways, his church, his daily presence, I’d be halfway to lunch. Then there are my family, friends, shared laughter, good health, innumerable blessings, not to mention my garden — and all the other wonders of God’s creation. You can see, I’d be past dinnertime and still not done.
Perhaps the best way is to echo Jimmy. "Thank you, God, for this lubberly day," this year, this life. Thank you for each breath I take, each object I see, each loving word I hear. I am most richly blessed.
Beyond the Door
1. What
a "lubberly thought": just thank God. Sounds like faith’s way of
saying "Just do it." And it’s
not a bad thought. What would you thank God for right at this
very moment? Just do it!
2. Try asking yourself that question every noon for the next week. Then thank God for that particular gift.
3. There’s an old German-English saying, "Undanks is the curse of the world." You guessed it: Undanks is German for "unthankfulness." Why and how do you think unthankfulness could be a curse? Talk about it with a friend.
4. How would you answer the question: Why should we thank God? Try this question at your next circle meeting, and weave the results into an opening or closing prayer.