A Thanksgiving Week Prayer

On this Thanksgiving week, we stop to pray as we prepare to pause our lives to celebrate Thanksgiving.

The Apostle Paul reminded followers of Jesus:

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2).

As we move toward Thanksgiving, we want to devote ourselves to prayer, paying special attention to being thankful. With that in mind, let me offer this prayer for our week.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We pause this Thanksgiving Week to bring you praise. Thank you for your bountiful blessings.

We can do nothing less than rejoice in the person and work of Jesus Christ, Who so generously and graciously died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world. Thank you that He willingly gave up everything He had in heaven to come to earth to live, suffer, and die for us. In His death, thank you for providing us life. The love of Jesus provides for us a rich foundation from which to worship You and serve others.

Thank you for the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. What an incredible gift You have provided us in the indwelling Spirit. You did not leave us as orphans, but provided the Spirit to convince our hearts of truth, convict us of sin, and pray intercessory prayers for us. You also left us your Word to transform us, sanctify us, and help us know You better.

Thank you for the body of Christ. You did not leave us alone, but instead, provided us all those who also are in the body of Christ with us. Thank you for the privilege of demonstrating to them what your love looks like and feels like from one person to another. Thank you for the smiles, the comfort, the words of encouragement, and the acts of kindness. We are grateful we get to do life with those who also love You.

This Thanksgiving Week, please accept our gratitude for all the blessings You have provided to us. We realize the world around us is broken, people suffer, others sin, and the whole world yearns for deliverance at the return of Jesus Christ. Yet, You still are sovereign, work out Your good plan in and around us, and keep Your promises to us. When things seem less than we desire, less than we hope, and less than we dream, we still have You. You are with us, love us, and work all things out to help us become more like our big brother Jesus.

As we anticipate the rest of this Thanksgiving Week, please receive from us our praise. Help us demonstrate our gratitude so others can experience it. Please receive our deepest thanks as we bring to You our hearts, our burdens, and our concerns. Thank you for the opportunity to bring our prayer to You!

In Jesus name, Amen