Holding on to thanksgiving
In taking the initial and ongoing approach to prayer, there is no precise course to run through.. Similar to the runner who enters various road races with precise marked distances, there is also running that goes on with no precise markers, no precise exact have to with the distance and so on and what the traveling points are within prayer are uncertain..
A runner can do sprints and stop running and walk a bit. A runner can run long distances through new and maybe excitingly scenic courses, with more of a focus on the scenery that up ticking the run to precise times and pace. But nevertheless, the activity is still defined as running.
But with all the possibilities for the runner, there are some general principles that can be worth holding onto.
Maybe for one runner the idea of running at near maximum speed twice a week for stretches on a track might be a principle they wish to hold on to.
Sometimes running with other people might be another principle for runners as they might want to make it a social thing in combination with the other reasons for running.
One of the principles repeated mentioned with respect to prayer in the Bible is references to thanksgiving in many forms.
So while the approach to prayer will have unique aspects for different individuals, the general theme of thanksgiving is a stay with the course principle to hold on to.
1 Timothy Chapter 2 verses 1 through 3 read from the NIV version of the Bible as follows:
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior,
It is interesting that there is a tie in of thanksgiving with petitions which are requests, and intercessions for others as also being related to prayers of thanksgiving going outward..
When praying for others, often the prayer revolves around something they do need, or that we think they need, and something is wrong that highlights this call to prayer for them..
We might pray for others for health matters, a new job, personal issues they are struggling with that they are asking for prayers for and so on.
But is the flag on the hill or the smoke signal coming round the mountain for prayer always arising from hearing of a need or of something being wrong, or does the call to prayer come as an initiative in conjuction with the overall wishes that prayer be offered widely and specifically for others, whether there are preannounced reasons or no reasons that we know of right at the moment..
Often we don't know if someone is in trouble, is in danger or what the precise need might be. So no news is good news, yes, but often times no news means no prayer for this person as everything does seem to be humming along nicely for them.
But the spiritual principle is that whether a petition is involved or no petition is involved, thanks can be given for others as a proper principle of prayer and whether precise specifids pour into that thanksgiving, is not the presiding reason to go forward with the prayer of thanksgiving for the good graces of the Lord for others.
]]>
But even if we do hear of trouble with somebody, such as say for example a health matter, there is still the ability to structure the prayer with thanksgiving and not to put the overall emphasis of the prayer strickly on the apparent health concern..
And most of the time if not always more of the concrete or core of the prayer request can be structured with thanksgiving as there is always enough to think of and cite to bring into the prayer of thanksgiving, whatever the troubles, difficulties and ongoing weaknesses may be.
For example, if there is a majestic ship that needs a paint job for its hull, the request for the paint job, still have deference and thanksgiving and wonder for the overall majesty of the great ship.
If the ship needs the minor overhaul of the paint job, the major proportion of the ship is beautiful, majestic and a source of wonder and thanksgiving, even while the request is going in for the paint job.
To hone in just on the request, is really not sizing up the truth of the overal picture, and what can happen in how we view things even while praying is that a singular request say without thankgiving can be to isolating to a given correction without including a vast treasure of things to be thankful for right at the moment and whatever can be included in the request that involves thanksgiving probably should be include to keep the overall picture in balance to what is real.
For example, say looking for a specific job, the request could be make with reference to the already in place good ability to do that job as something that you may already possess and in that way structuring the request with added thanksgiving for what you already have as part of the means and mechanism to potentially get there.
Or say someone has a shortfall, financially or health wise, the prayer for this need for help can be structured with an inclusion of thanksgiving inclusive of that there is a good degree of overall good health with this person or that do have some good resources already such as a place to live and so on.
Things could always be a lot worse and you can go there and give some itemized thanksgiving for the way things are not worse.
For example currently people are complaining that the prices for a gallon of petrol is more than 4 dollars where it could be 10 dollars. It could be worse.
So no matter what the request or petition, some thanksgiving can be structured into the request and likely more thanksgiving can be structured within the request and the prayer has an overall structure that may be more pleasing to the Lord who does want within requests apprecation and thanksgiving as a petition is made for further or additional graces upon graces already given.
Say a baseball pitcher would like to do his best this game. That request can be structured with a thanksgiving for having the golden throwing arm in the first place
Secondly, there can be the idea of some separation from outright own ship of what you are thanking the Lord for.
This idea is more of a sublte change in the approach.
While this isn't an absolutely necessary thing or always the right strategy, it can give a bit of an objective view for the request and perhaps help broaden your own personal vision of what these graces might be and how they might unfold in untold and manifold ways.
There are some Christian contemporary songs that go with lyrics like thank for you for the and fill in the blank.as to what it might be but the key is thank for for the rather than my.
Say for example the sun, which can be very missing on a cold and blusterly day and suddenly it appears on the horizen, You would more say thank you Lord for the sun rather than my sun
This is in contrast to more often just saying thank you for my wonderful this or that.
This might go into say advance thanksgiving, in that instead of saying thank you for my, just say thank you for the and this way the graces cited can be more diffuse to intercession as well.
Even in secular interchanges, if someone in this moment say gives you car as a gift, in that moment you might say thank you for the car rather than thank you for my car.
It is going to be your car or my car, but at the precise exchange of the gift, it is the car.
Say for example someone might pray, thank you Lord for the angels you are sending to this national or international trouble spot in the world.. A case in point for right now might be Japan which is in a whirlwind of troubles at the moment.
At the point of the possible exchange of the prayer for the gift, it is for the angels not my angels.
Thank you Lord for the healing graces and for the revealing of abundant resources and for the beautiful sights I am seeing first hand. The sights are beautiful, and it can be a sight in the sky manufactured for you, but the point of exchange of the grace coming your way it is still objectively a sight that others might also share with you.
When too much of me and my is integrated into thanksgiving, the picture of unique and separate graces reigning down and through from the Lord might get lost.
Detach a bit from outright ownership of the graces and gifts at times within the thanksgivings, especially as you go as it mentions in the letter to Timothy into broader thanksgivings for others in weaving in thanksgiving with intercessory prayer.
You want to get back to the point of exchange, rather than jumping ahead and say thanking the Lord for my this or my that. Highlight the exchange of graces for your prayers in the prayer of thankgiving.
In any event, it is always good to hold on to what you have even while may seeking more beyond what you already know and for what is not yet revealed, and we do have graces from the Lord that continue and part of the access to those graces is the gift of spoken thanksgiving and appreciation for these gifts as the point of exchange is ongoing and indeed we hope that the gifts will keep coming, as opposed to my gifts,
So thank the Lord for the gifts, not only the one's that hone to you but gifts that can be seen and heeding for others in the prayer of gratefullness for them as you heed the call of the Lord to pray for others.
Thanksgiving is and always will be a key beacon to the graces of the Lord at all times and places.