A Thanksgiving Prayer - Poetic Prose

Telling the story of Jesus, Almighty God and the

Holy Spirit is my desire. I want others to know that You are

All powerful and all knowing and care about everything that touches our lives, every big thing and everything small.

Not a sparrow falls to the ground without You, God, knowing or caring. Doesn't that mean we also are precious to You and You care for us in our need, our sorrow, and our grief? You are

King of the world and King of my heart. I truly want to be used as Your

Servant to those around me. God uses people as His voice, His hands, and His feet.

Go into all the world, preaching the Gospel and making disciples of all nations is what You tell us we need to do. All nations

Incudes our neighbors, family and coworkers and anyone that we come into contact with. Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. Jesus died to claim

Victory over sin and to claim all who would come as His. It is through His death and resurrection that we have our hope.

I can do all things because Christ gives me strength. That includes living with joy abundantly in my life while living in this fallen world full of sin.

Not having what the world says I should have materially does not cause me distress. I trust You,

God, and know every good and perfect gift comes from above. Thank you, my dear Father, for

Providing a physical need for my family.

Rejoicing is what you have given in a situation of what looked like desperation. We have been in much prayer over this situation knowing

Alone we can accomplish nothing. You gave us another reason to sing and dance and praise Your holy name today. We have been overwhelmed and amazed at your goodness and how You chose to manifest Yourself through strangers. These were strangers to us but not to You, God. Thank You for placing a

Yearning in the hearts of these people to be the instuments You used to remind us of Your love. My prayer, Lord, is that

Everyone will know, all in our family, that You saw fit to give us a Thanksgiving gift, a true and real modern day miracle. You supplied a real physical need. But,

Really You did more than that. You, our Father, know how to give us what we truly need. You know better than we know what is best for us. You desire good and greatness for Your children.

In supplying a physical need, God, thank you, for stirring a spiritual awareness of our need for You and our dependance on You for all we have. Forgive our unbelief and doubt and strengthen our faith. We want to know You more.

Truly You have given us something to be grateful for. Yes, my family gets to eat, but You have also strengthened weakening faith. You have given evidence to those in our family who have not yet placed their trust in You that You are indeed real. You have shown us, every member, that you love and care for us. Thank You for showing us what Thanksgiving is all about. Thank You, Lord, for you.

Amen.

My parents are going through some extreme financial circumstances this year. They live about a three hour drive away. Both my brothers live with them. My younger brother's two children also live there. My dad draws disability and my older brother just started working again after being unemployed for almost a year. My younger brother is financially strained having recently gone through a divorce and having to pay marital bills the two had together. My older brother used to draw food stamps but those were cut off recently when he reported he would start a new job soon. He hasn't drawn his first paycheck yet.

My family has struggled to provide necessities. Thanksgiving dinner is not a necessity. They would be glad to have anything to eat that day. I have been praying for my family in regards to this situation for several weeks. My brothers and nieces have not yet trusted Christ as Savior. My parents have. They also have been asking God to provide their need to be able to eat. He did that and so much more.

Yesterday, while on a break at his new job, my older brother, talked with a coworker about what was going on. He didn't ask for help. I imagine he was just blowing off steam. Financial pressure and not having enough to eat can be stressful to deal with. The coworker is a member of a church that has a food pantry for those in the community who need help eating. He called home and talked to his family. My brother did not know that his coworker had made a phone call on his behalf.

At quitting time yesterday, as my brother was walking out, the coworker comes up to him with his wife and daughter carrying huge, heavy bags filled with groceries. They even had a turkey with them.

My brother gets home and tells mom and dad he needs to tell them something. He then goes outside and proceeds to bring in bag after bag of food. My parents call downstairs and get my younger brother and his daughters to come upstairs and see. Everyone is excited. Dad says he is overwhelmed. Relief and thankfulness ripple through my family.

The turkey weights twelve pounds. There are potatoes and yams and green beans and soup and other goodies within these bags. God not only provided Thanksgiving dinner for my family but also food to meet their everyday needs for at least two weeks. That is when my brother should start collecting a paycheck.

Praise and glory belong to God!