COVENANT PRAYER CIRCLE GUIDE

Week of Nov. 12, 2017Gratitude--Remembering

Scripture: Psalms 123 and 124

Prayer focus: “I raise my eyes to You--You who rule heaven.” Psalm 123:1 CEB

Gratitude is supposed to be a way of life for us. We are following a God who has done everything for us and that’s what we sometimes forget. God has done everything. God provides us with everything we need. God does it--not us. But, being the humans that we are, we forget and we think that we’ve done it all. Plus that we live in a country that rewards independence and disparages dependence. That makes it even harder for us to realize that we are so truly dependent upon God.

So, how can we remember? Good Jews are supposed to give 100 blessings a day--in the form of thanking God for those blessings. Look around you. Can you find 100 things to thank God for everyday? Can you find 50? How about 10? When I first started to keep a journal and found it hard to write, someone suggested I keep a gratitude journal and make a list of those things for which I’m grateful that day. I had trouble sometimes (really, most times) coming up with three things for which to be grateful. Three things? God certainly gives me more than three things every day.

Remembering helps me to thank God, perhaps for blessings I don’t realize at the time are blessings. Like the fact that I dropped out of college at the end of my first year. Well, actually, I was invited to leave. I didn’t know what I wanted to do so I spent a lot of time partying. However, I used the more mature excuse of why should I be wasting my parents’ money and my time. When I went back almost 10 years later--when my baby started kindergarten, I really knew what I wanted to do and graduated with honors in less than 3 years.

I raise my eyes to YOU--YOU who RULE heaven. When I raise my eyes to God--who rules heaven--which to me means He rules everywhere--I am reminded of exactly who is in charge of my life. And it’s not me. God has plans for me, I have plans for you, He says in Jeremiah, plans for your welfare, plans that will bless you, plans that are good for you, plans for a good future (Jer. 29:11, paraphrased). So, if the plans God has for us are good, isn’t that what we are supposed to be remembering.

If we remember that all God does for us is good, then shouldn’t we be able to find something good in that bad to be grateful for? If we raise our eyes to God--who rules heaven and earth--shouldn’t we be able to remember something good and thank Him for that good thing? Can we find 100 things a day to thank God for? Or maybe 50? Or maybe 10?

Questions/Discussion:

  1. Remember something from your life that you consider a bad thing (like being invited to leave college) and find something good in that. Share with your group.
  2. What are some ways you can show your gratitude to God for all that He’s done for you?
  3. Where have you seen God in action this week?

Prayer: Dear God, thank You so much for all that You’ve done for me. You are a most gracious and loving God, You have my best interests in Your heart. I truly have much to be grateful for so please help me remember all that You’ve done for me so that I can give thanks. In Your Son’s most gracious name. Amen.