A Prayer for Thanksgiving Week

Holy God, we thank you for all the ways you continue to bless us. We have so much to be thankful for this week and every day. Thank you for protecting us from dangers seen and unseen. Thank you for keeping us safe beneath the shadow of your wings. Thank you for wrapping us up in your loving arms and reassuring us in times of trouble. Thank you for giving us your peace. We pray that you will be with those in need this week. In all things we give you the praise. Amen.

Daily Prayer

Loving God, thank you for this day of new mercies and new possibilities. Thank you for keeping us safe from dangers seen and unseen. We acknowledge that you are great and greatly to be praised. We lift your name on high.

We come confessing our sins and asking for your forgiveness in all the ways we have fallen short. We thank you for your faithfulness even when we have been unfaithful.

Merciful God, you already know our wants and needs even before we ask. So, we pray that you will meet us in our needful places. We pray that you will move in our lives and in our circumstances with your powerful presence.

We love you, Lord. We worship and adore you. We give you thanks today. And in all things we give you the glory.  Amen.

Scripture for Reflection:

Psalm 103:17 (CEB) But the Lord’s faithful love is from forever ago to forever from now for those who honor him. And God’s righteousness reaches to the grandchildren.

Keeping Hope Alive

In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

Jeremiah 29:4-13

 

Keeping Hope Alive

Things were different in Babylon, where the people encountered new challenges in a foreign land. In exile, they faced unfamiliar societal norms, exotic customs, and syncretic worship practices that challenged them unexpectedly. If they weren’t careful, they stood in danger of losing track of their identity as people of faith. Despite it all, the prophet Jeremiah told them to look toward the future with hope. God had plans for their shalom (peace) and not their calamity. In times of uncertainty, they needed to keep praying and searching for God in every circumstance. The prophet’s advice is applicable today. The currently fragmented body of Christ must find ways to connect in novel ways. If they continue to search for God wholeheartedly, they will see their God loves them and gives them hope to meet any challenge.