Prayer of Thanksgiving

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV) )

I was thinking last night of just how grateful I am that God is so faithful, and for the myriad ways He displays His character.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8 (KJV)

About 5 years ago, there was a point where I was so overwhelmed by God's goodness that I wrote down some of the things for which I was thankful. With the help of a friend, this became a prayer - not grammatically correct, perhaps, but from the heart. I thought of this prayer last night. This morning, the Our Daily Bread devotional (see http://www.rbc.org/) also was concerning thankfulness for God's blessings.

I get it, Lord. My sacrifice of praise to You this day is to offer this prayer here:

I Thank You, Dear Lord...

That I am. That You, Almighty God, in Your infinite wisdom and unfathomable love, created me. That You chose that I would have life – life at this time, at this place. That I am Yours. That You, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent God, with Your unsearchable power and limitless knowledge, would choose to allow me to choose You, to choose eternal life. That You chose that I could and would be born again. That You hold my past, present and future in Your hands. That You love me.

That You are God. That You are the God You are. That You are my God. That You are the God You are to, for, through, and in me. That You are love. That You love me.

That You show me Your favor. That You bless me. That You so lovingly care for me, so sufficiently provide for me, so valiantly and powerfully protect me, so mercifully perfect me, so gently correct me, so thoroughly complete me. That You allow me to love You. That You desire my love. That You deserve my love. That You give me a heart with which to love You. That You love me enough, giving me a love with which to love You back. That You reveal Yourself to me. That You talk to me. That You listen to me. That You smile at, with and upon me. That You are a personal God, an individual God. That You are loving, kind, joyous, peaceful, patient, true, long-suffering, merciful, gracious, meek, forgiving, pure, peaceable, gentle, compassionate, lovely, good, fair, honest, just, virtuous, praiseworthy.

That You, Holy God, lead me, guide me, want the best for me and want me to succeed. That I am of value to You. That You are so much greater than I. That I can trust You. That You comfort, strengthen, and encourage me as I or others have need. That You love me.

For the body You have created for me. That I can see, hear, speak, touch, feel, and taste. That I can sense Your presence. That You would grace and gift me with Your presence. That I can experience beauty, joy, delight, and surprise in a measure of all that You are, through all that You provide in this life for me: that I can experience love. For silence and sound, darkness and light, preparation and change.

That You, Mighty God, would give me an appreciation for Who You are and what You do. That You care enough about me that You would have me understand something, anything, of You, of Your ways. That You demonstrate spiritual principles in a natural fashion so that I can have some level of knowledge about You.

That You would give me a desire for You and then fulfill and satisfy that desire. That You would allow me, unction me to pray for something, for someone according to Your will, and then would hear and answer my prayer. That You would choose to glorify Yourself in me, would shine as a light in and through my life. That You don’t want me to fear or worry. That You want me to trust You completely. That You are completely trustworthy. That You love me.

For the body You have created for Yourself. That I am a part of that body - the Body of Christ. That I am not alone. That none need be alone. For “fel-low-ship.” That I belong. That You know me - You know who I am. That I am accepted, accepted even into the beloved, unto You, my Beloved. That I am called and set apart for You. That I know Whose I am. That I am loved.

For all of these things, Dear Lord, and so many more, I am so very grateful. I thank You, again and again, in Jesus' Name.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

... and my journey with Him continues ...