In prayer, several intercessors use the acronym, ACTS. Thus, they
follow the sequence of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and, end with,
Supplication as they pray. If we focus on thanksgiving, “a prayer expressing
gratitude to God,” we will find ourselves with so much to be thankful for in
our prayers. For instance, at this Thanksgiving, let us pause and pray
thanksgiving prayers for the following five items:
1. Our leaders, both country as well as our
church leaders. The Bible encourages us to offer prayers first for country
leaders and other in authority: “I urge,
then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be
made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may
live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy
2:1-2, NIV). Similarly, we must pray for our church leaders because they are
also in authority as far as our spiritual lives are concerned. The writer of
the book of Hebrews reminds us of the kind of posture we should have toward
those who care for our spiritual welfare: “Have
confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep
watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work
will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you” (Hebrews
13:17, NIV).
2. Our parents or parent figures in our lives.
In accordance to Bible teaching, we
are to honor our parents in the Lord. Thankfully, it is the only one of the Ten
Commandments that comes with a beautiful promise for us: “Honor your father and mother. Then you will
live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you”
(Exodus 20:12, NLT). This promise, reiterated in Ephesians 6:2, is preceded by
with these words, “Children,
obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” (Ephesians 6:1). What a
greater thing to honor or obey our parents than to offer a prayer of
thanksgiving? Let us prayerfully thank
God for our parents whether they are our biological parents, foster parents or older
adults who remind us of our fathers and mothers because of their positive
influence in our lives.
3. Our family. We cannot imagine life
without our family. In so many ways, we are much like our family and we should
be grateful to God for our family members. One of my favorite exhortations
regarding family is found in the book of Mark and was Jesus’ response to a man He
had just healed. The man wanted to go
with Jesus, “But Jesus
said, ‘No, go
home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how
merciful he has been.’” (Mark 5:19, NLT). This Thanksgiving let’s thank God for each of
our family members and take time to share with them what the Lord has done in
and through us over the last year.
4. Our friends. Life without friends is
really like a garden with no flowers. Life would be so miserable if we didn’t
have friends. It is great to know that even if all our friends turn against us,
we still have a friend in Jesus. An old hymn describes Him as a “friend of
sinners” and as such He is loving, saving, and keeping towards all those who
turn to Him. Friends are part of our
everyday life. In fact, we are so much shaped and influenced by friends. We
should, therefore, thank God for good friends. Proverbs 18:24b underscores that
“there is a [true,
loving] friend who [is reliable and] sticks closer than a brother.” Let us
be thankful for friends of this kind in our circles of friends.
5. Our Salvation—a gift that God has given to
us freely—to be evident in our spheres of influence. This Thanksgiving, may
our lips express with thankfulness the words of the apostle Paul in 2
Corinthians 9:15, regarding the Gift of God’s Son: “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” Jesus is God’s Gift
to the world who made it possible for all believers to receive the gift of
eternal life. Jesus is also the God-man and the Only Mediator between us and
God. The Bible states that the truth of this reality: “For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and
humanity—the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5, NLT). It is, therefore, by
believing in Jesus that we are saved (Acts 16:30-31; Romans 10:9-10). Acts 4:12
rightly puts it this way: “Salvation is
found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind
by which we must be saved [except the Name of Jesus]." We must make
this known to those in our spheres of influence (i.e. our friends, relatives,
associates and neighbors). However, we must keep in mind that we cannot do this
only by our lips, we must cultivate a lifestyle that makes Jesus great in all
things.
In conclusion, let me encourage us that we don’t limit our
thanksgiving prayers to the five things I have listed and described above. Let
us expand our expressions of thanksgiving in prayer to include everything as
this Scripture verse exhorts us: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, KJV). Our thanksgiving may also include
the good and bad. Why? Because we are confident that God’s Hand is at work in
our lives. We are also knowledgeable of the fact that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, NASB).
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Spiritual Inspiration
by unknown author!
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