The other day I was listening to a review of a new book, Help, Thanks, Wow; The Three Essentials of Prayer, by Anne Lamott on National Public Radio. It made me think that prayer is multifaceted, but what really captured my attention was the third component - the Wow factor. It is all about praising God.
She describes this Wow experience as a time when you are speechless. You recognize perhaps a moment of beauty in creation, or it might be something you recognize for the first time that makes a tremendous impact on you.
I also think of the situation where God has come through in prayer for you maybe in an unexpected way.. It is a Wow moment. Or something just captures your attention about the greatness of God. It is a Wow moment. Do you have many such moments in your life, where you are just moved to give praise to God? It made me think that maybe my own such moments are too few. Possibly, I'm just not being sensitive enough to God's creation or how God is working in the world.
I hope that your prayer life is multifaceted and that there are those Wow moments for you!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Let Thankfulness Abound
Giving thanks has always been a part of the response of people of faith. The psalmist declares: "I will gives to the Lord with my whole heart." Psalm 9:1 We notice it wasn't a half-hearted thanks, but it was a desire to give thanks with one's entire being. Seriously, have you ever been in this mode?
As we speak to God, giving thanks is also necessary. What would it be like to always be asking from God and never giving thanks? After all, everything we have comes from God. Sometimes, we need to look beyond the troubles, the problems, the trials, the tough challenges, and begin to focus on what we do have. We can also be thankful that we have a God who is always with us through thick and thin whatever we experience.
As we are approaching the Day of Thanksgiving, a national holiday, we are to be mindful of our many blessings. What will you offer up in thankfulness for our nation? For your church? For your individual life?
Being thankful will reap personal rewards for you. You will begin to see a brighter side to life.
As we speak to God, giving thanks is also necessary. What would it be like to always be asking from God and never giving thanks? After all, everything we have comes from God. Sometimes, we need to look beyond the troubles, the problems, the trials, the tough challenges, and begin to focus on what we do have. We can also be thankful that we have a God who is always with us through thick and thin whatever we experience.
As we are approaching the Day of Thanksgiving, a national holiday, we are to be mindful of our many blessings. What will you offer up in thankfulness for our nation? For your church? For your individual life?
Being thankful will reap personal rewards for you. You will begin to see a brighter side to life.
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