Happy Thanksgiving!
Being Thankful
Father, we are asking You for so many things
– protection for our families and loved ones from accident, tragedy, trauma, and the divisions that seek to separate us
– healing for those with injuries or illnesses, physical, mental or spiritual
– reunification of the citizens of the US
– an end to abuse of power in all walks of life
– for injustices to be righted
– for people to be able to be employed again at levels that can provide and sustain a living wage
– for persecution of believers to stop all over the world
– especially in war torn areas now, but also for all: peace on earth!
But if it is Your will that we simply endure these challenges for a time, give us what we need to persevere with hope. To live in a way that brings honor to You and Your name. To walk in Your Light and share that Light with others.
Help us today to focus on being thankful to You.
Lincoln said it wonderfully at the end of his Thanksgiving Day proclamation:
I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.
And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Thank You Lord for giving me
all the blessings that I see:
friends and food and family
Thank You for loving me
Thanks to Thee as life unfolds
days of trial and days of gold
Help me live that all might see
a glimpse of Your love in me
Let others see Jesus in me
Find yourself in Psalm 107
There have only been a few Memorial Days since my Dad passed away. And they mean a lot more to me now. God answered our prayers so many times and returned him home from wars or military actions unharmed.
I was raised seeing lots of parades and military air shows with troops marching in formation. It was a reminder that my freedom was not free. But that this wonderful country I lived in was made free by the strength of the force of men and women in the military, and by the blood shed by past soldiers.
The Israelites would often set up a stone or pile of stones to commemorate significant events. I can do the same with a piece of art, or jewelry, a song, poem or picture. I can place things on my desk or in my home or yard so that when someone comments on it, I can tell the reason for its significance.
What do you need to remember, commemorate? How will you do it?
I was raised seeing lots of parades and military air shows with troops marching in formation. It was a reminder that my freedom was not free. But that this wonderful country I lived in was made free by the strength of the force of men and women in the military, and by the blood shed by past soldiers.
The Israelites would often set up a stone or pile of stones to commemorate significant events. I can do the same with a piece of art, or jewelry, a song, poem or picture. I can place things on my desk or in my home or yard so that when someone comments on it, I can tell the reason for its significance.
What do you need to remember, commemorate? How will you do it?
Father, Jeremiah saw wicked people prospering and called for their demise. You answered saying their end was coming. I see much the same today. People who have denied You and live their lives for fame, power or profit are indeed prospering. My society elevates them rather than calling for righteousness. And every day the time approaches when You will uproot and destroy them.
Jeremiah points out the worthlessness of the idols that the people made for themselves. They were made of wood or stone. They had to be carried from place to place. They had no awareness and no power. Yet the people superstitiously bowed down to them.
In addition to spiritual idolatry that took their worship away from You, they treated each other with greed and deceit. They were shameless in their lusts and immorality. These are the things I must put to death in my own flesh. Because You gave me a new life in saving me from the penalty of my sin, I seek to live that life in You.
“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
There are many followings today, many belief systems that are portrayed in the media as right and credible. Do not let me be misled by these false, socially acceptable representations. You have taught me the truth. And I have aligned myself with You by faith, by public profession, by baptism and by the way I choose to live. 
“Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear…Should you not fear me, declares the Lord? Should you not tremble in my presence? ”
Father, be near me today. I know You have already promised never to leave me, but let me feel You especially near today.
Paul put it this way: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” 
I will remember Your faithfulness to me. I will recall Your power. And I will trust in Your purpose and Your love for me. Amen
You bring reward to Your people. You come avenging Your people, righting wrongs done centuries ago and ever since. Even Your people do not deserve Your great salvation, but You will bless the remnant You have chosen and those who call on Your name. 
Father, what a glorious picture You paint of the time when You return to the earth! I have no idea when it will be, whether I will be alive and able to see it first hand, or whether many more generations will pass before it happens. But I believe all will be as You describe.
Father, I wonder how I disappoint You when You look at me. I so often think of my own needs and wants before others, and I want things my own way. That sounds a lot like “sinful greed” and “willful ways.” But because I am Yours, I have Your Spirit in me, and I have Your Word. The Scriptures tell me how to live, and the Spirit prompts me in the right direction, even when I stray. I am thankful that You do not give up on me.
I realize that my battle is not with the people around me, or my circumstances, although I sometimes feel at war with these. My struggle is “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” And the armor You have given me is perfectly suited to what I need.
They covered the soldier’s body and were wide enough so when they stood together it made a formidable wall. And thick enough to block and stop sword, spear, arrow and javelin.
Isaiah tells me You were “despised and rejected…a man of suffering, familiar with pain…You took up our pain and bore our suffering…were pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on You, and by Your wounds, we are healed.”
Thank You Father that You are my God. Thank You that You know what is best for me and that You are willing to communicate that to me.
Help me “live a life worthy of the calling I have received.” Help me understand the life You have called me to.
So Father, would You strengthen me:
Fear had never been a part of the relationship before. But now that there was sin, there was fear. I have lived all my life in a fallen world where fear has a place. 
These words are spoken by Your prophet Isaiah who is telling how it will be when the judgment of Israel is over: 
Where You say “Carry each other’s [burdens] and in this way fulfill the law of Christ,” that word is “baros.” Although it is translated four times to read “burden” a more complete definition is “heaviness, weight that would weigh you down, pressing on you, difficult requirements.”
But where You say “each one should carry their own [burden].” The word is “phortion” which simply means “something to be carried.” So there is a difference here in the amount of weight and in the “‘burdensomeness” implied in the original meaning.
When my first son was small, I remember wanting to avoid having a child who yelled “No” all the time, so I tried to avoid saying No to him if I could. Eventually, I did end up having to say No much more than I wanted. It was such a convenient way to help him understand what was allowable and what was not.
Just like with my earthly parents, my position as Your child will never change. I may move far away from them, or be upset with them, or they with me. So the quality of our relationship may have its ups and downs. And the closeness of our interactions may fluctuate, but my position as their child remains the same.
I do forget, especially during times of trouble and hardship, to keep focused on You. I get distracted by worrying over things I cannot control. Negative emotions draw me deeper into fear and discouragement, the opposite of peace. But the realization that I am not feeling Your peace pulls me back into this verse, reminding me to refocus my attention.
Father, what an amazing plan You set out before Abraham so long ago. He believed You even at a time when there was no evidence to show Your plan was working.
Father, You are right in Your assessments and just in Your judgments. You gave Isaiah a judgment that would fall upon the people of Moab and Damascus. It’s a horrible picture of death and devastation.
Father, whenever I experience trouble let me be like David is here. He is being hunted for his life, yet his words vacillate between his trouble, his faith in You, and praise for You. He has not forgotten the trial, but his focus is more on You than it.
Father, I pray that I would be a tool in Your hand for godly purposes. Use me to accomplish Your will. You are truly the potter and I am the clay. Send me where Your would, as Your handiwork, to achieve Your plan. And never let me forget that Yours is the strength and the wisdom by which anything is accomplished.
First they “rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah.” These were the softly running streams of Northern Israel that brought water to provide abundant harvests of grain, but represented the provision You afforded them as a blessing. Yet the people were not satisfied with what You supplied.
They sought other gods. So You brought against them “mighty floodwaters of the River – the king of Assyria with all his pomp…to overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep onto Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck.” The Assyrian Empire was centered on the Tigris and Euphrates, two of the largest and mightiest rivers. The Assyrians would spill over into Israel and flood up to their necks. Not the kind of water that was useful for life, but a devastating, destructive flood.
Father, what a vision You gave Isaiah! It’s as if he were privileged to peek into the actual Throne Room in Heaven itself! His eyes were opened and he saw and described amazing things that are like nothing ever seen on earth.
O Father. I pray that I will not be “deceived by the serpent’s cunning as Eve was,” and that my “mind would not be led astray from a pure and sincere devotion to Christ.”
I believe the Helmet of Salvation bears Your insignia so that all who see it will know I fight on Your side. And it protects not only my head, but my mind inside: my thoughts. In doing so, many lies the evil one would have me believe simply bounce off and never even enter my mind.
What a loving Father You are. You instruct gently, and spell out exactly, what the truth is. You teach Your children how to do what will bring them the greatest reward. You remind them: “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land.” 
Father, in many prayers, a sense of Your amazing presence is followed by recognizing the need to repent of personal sin. Yesterday’s Psalm of Your glorious appearance is followed by today’s Psalm of asking for forgiveness. It’s no wonder – when I focus on You and Your righteous character, I feel completely inadequate and unworthy.
Father, I bring my thoughts before You: angry, selfish, envious, lustful, greedy, prideful, and any others that would lead me away from You.
Or maybe as a majestic motion picture, with powerful, turbulent action between the fire and the oncoming storm like Cecil B. DeMille’s Ten Commandments.
He has written: “sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth…” 
Father, I do desire to have Your wisdom. So I will heed the words Solomon wrote.
Father, what great knowledge Solomon amassed!
“Be still and know I am God.” What a great reminder!
It is an emotional response from a man at the end of himself, beholding Your immensity and magnificence. But it is also a statement of fact, that is true for me and every one of Your creations.
O Father, what amazing pictures are created with Your very words.
Father, Paul made this statement about his circumstances and the difficulties he had been through: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” And it seems this is true for me and most other believers as well.
“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” What joyful words!
Oh Father, the Psalmist put it so picturesquely, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God.” Without the replenishing energy of water, a body will dehydrate due to physical activity, even just breathing. And just as the body needs water, and cannot go for long without it, my spirit needs You.
Dear Father, everyone has people in their lives who are weak and need help. When I can help, show me those You have placed in my life for that purpose.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 
O Father, how I agree with the words of Job! “I know that my Redeemer lives! And that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me.”
Lord, today is the anniversary of my grandmother’s death. My own father’s passing still fresh in my memory. Two friends lost family members to Coronavirus this month adding to the toll of over 630,000 in our nation. And personally, I’ve received my own “wake up call” cancer diagnosis and now await a kidney donor.
“You are the maker of the Bear and Orion (northern constellations), the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. You perform wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.”
O Lord, I have never experienced the misery and suffering of Job, but his pain and the depth of his despair are clear to me. So it seems to me that what his friend is saying is terribly insensitive. It sounds as if he is trying to encourage Job to trust in his own righteousness.
Father, I have often wondered why You singled out Job and allowed so much suffering to come into one life. How tragic, and yet how strong was his faith in You. It stood up to all satan threw at him. He did not curse You, but responded with those famous words: “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away; may the name of the lord be praised.”
Father, here is one of the great faith statements. Mordecai has no doubt that You will save him and his people. He sends this message to Esther “If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your family will perish.”
Father, help me be more loving. I am so convicted today of falling short in this area.
Dear Heavenly Father, how unusual that Your name doesn’t even appear in the book of Esther! However, there is no doubt that all the events were orchestrated by You!
Father, most days I don’t feel like I’m in a battle. I don’t see people who “seek my life,” “plot my ruin,” or who are “hiding nets” and “digging pits” for me. Most of the time I live oblivious to the spiritual battles that go on around me.
“No temptation has seized you that is not common to man. 
Psalm 33 tells me, “Blessed [joyful, happy] is the nation whose God is the Lord. The people He chose for His inheritance.”
Father, You gave Nehemiah the plan to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall. And met his needs as he accomplished it. You brought the people needed to do the work. And You provided abundantly to feed them. You brought all the pieces together for Your plan to be accomplished.
Father, what a lesson from Nehemiah!
Picture by Sweet Publishing
Father, thank You that You are a God of second chances. And third and fourth and even more.
Father, thank You for Your Word that guides me every day in my prayers and in the choices I make in life. In today’s scriptures there are many reminders of things that deserve my attention.
Heavenly Father, what a rich heritage Ezra had. Usually I just skim over the names listed in genealogies, but somehow this time, these names seemed familiar.
Father, I pray You would watch over and protect me as You did those who “set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem.” They returned to the land You had given their people after living in exile in Babylon for seventy years. 
“To You I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if You remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.” They have no hope. And see no chance for rescue.
Lord God, from today’s scriptures it’s clear that You have moved armies, governments, civilizations to accomplish Your will. You told Your prophets, who told the people, exactly what would happen if they did not keep their covenant with You.
Yet sometimes I have felt in the dark. I have been afraid of what may happen to me or to my loved ones.
When it was brought before the young king, he heard the Word of the Law and his heart was responsive as he understood its meaning. He humbled himself before You and sought Your will.
Unity is a gift, and it comes from You.
Even before I was born, You determined when I would be born, and where, and to whom. There were generations who came before me who knew You and worshipped You. That is a godly heritage I must not take for granted.
Your Word in Psalms today is a wonderful prayer. “May You answer me when I am in distress.” Thank You Lord, that I can call on You any time. You are never too busy to hear my cry for help. And You can handle any kind of distress possible.
Father, You give me choices, and in You I am free. Strengthen me to make the right choices, godly choices.
Father, there are so many comforts in this passage of Romans today. You are gracious to me in so many wonderful ways.
Lord, I think of how far Rehoboam fell from the standards of his father, Solomon and grandfather, David. It is so sad that all the faith and wisdom died with the very next generation! 
Father, David proclaimed “Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things.” He was amazed and pleased at the abundance of gifts the people poured out for the building of Your Temple. And he acknowledged “Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.” I completely agree.
You created this world with painstaking care. Every planet in the solar system is ordered. The geology of the planet earth is stable enough that I don’t see mountains from my window one day and valleys the next.
It seems some days are harder than others. If even one negative thought comes into my head, it can bring me down. I glumly mull it over and the thought generates an emotional response. Very easily other negative thoughts join in and pile up on each other till I am feeling discouraged.
Lord, David, who was known as a “man after God’s own heart” ordered that a census be taken of the Israelites. The implication here is that he wanted to know how many fighting men he had available. It seems like a reasonable thing to do to the logical mind. But what the scripture says is that “satan incited David to take a census of Israel.”
Father, David inquired of You through the prophet Nathan. Back then people did not have all of Your Word for wisdom and direction. And the Torah, the part of the Word they did have, was only known to the Priests. So, since You spoke through the prophets, that’s where David went to know Your will.
Father, I have heard many stories of how missionaries would go into a place no “civilized” man had been before, and the native people already knew of You. They had a name for You. They knew Your character, and that You are the One True God who created and rules the universe.
My flesh wars with me, tempting me into sin. The world around me seeks to draw me into its ungodly values. The evil one desires my destruction.
Father, I pray that my sons would be Mighty Men. Like those men You brought to surround and support David, let my sons be able and capable. Let them know what is right and not be afraid to stand up and fight for it.
This land, chosen from all the earth, would have been their resting place where they could live in peace and worship You as they had promised to do. They would live out the covenant You had made with them and enjoy Your blessings all the days of their lives.
“Lord my God, I take refuge in You; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.” 
“Be merciful to me, Lord…O Lord, heal me.” Father, there have been times when not only my body, but my soul have been sick with grief, with fear, with frustration. There are times when I do not understand why such bad things happen to good, seemingly innocent people and children.
Father, like You acted in Paul’s life, would You orchestrate my circumstances to allow for opportunities to bring You glory, and would You fill my mouth with the words to say as I give testimony to Your greatness.
“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
How amazing You are, Father. You knew what Paul was headed for and You told him to “Take courage” just when he needed it.
O Father, Your people didn’t think that judgment would come. But You sent Pharaoh Neco from Egypt in the west to take Judah’s king in chains and tax and oppress the people. Then Nebuchadnezzar from Babylon in the east came twice to burn Jerusalem and strip the land of the last of its treasures and people.
Daily Bible Prayer 