Well. We made it. Thanksgiving has come and gone. This long year of 2020 has been quite the experience, hasn’t it?

But I keep hearing people saying, “2021 can’t come soon enough!” Be careful what you wish for. There is no guarantee 2021 won’t bring even greater challenges.

This counsel can sound pessimistic. It isn’t my intention. Allow me to back up a moment...

A great formula for prayer is ACTS. Adoration (Telling God how truly great He is). Contrition (Repenting for all the ways you’ve fallen short of God’s perfect will for your life). Thanksgiving (Gratitude for all God has given us). Supplication (Petitions for ourselves and Intercession for others).

All four of these are important parts of a deep and meaningful relationship with God. Yet, most of us skip the first three and go straight to supplication. We treat God as nothing more than a great big cosmic vending machine. No wonder we get so upset when God doesn’t give us whatever we want as soon as we ask. After all, if I stick a buck in a vending machine and my Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups get stuck leaning against the glass, instead of falling to the bottom, I lose my mind. And a friend’s healing is so much more important than peanut butter cups. God is so much more.

I’ll go back to adoration and contrition another time, but thanksgiving is monumentally important. Realizing what you have today. Recognizing what you’ve received from today’s blessings and struggles. Imagining that you will lose everything tomorrow that you forgot to thank God for today—and praying like it was a reality. Attempting to always thank God for twice as many things as we ask Him for.

Dear Lord, you are a creative and generous God. We apologize for our complaining. We thank you for the joy in the blessing and the wisdom we gain in struggle. Please help us to live with greater gratitude. Amen.

Questions? Comments? Email David at dlins@oloj.org.

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