Thank You Lord

Today is a pretty special day for my wife and I -- we closed on our new house and we move in tomorrow.  We are surrounded with boxes, packing paper and last minute laundry to do... but I wanted to take a few minutes to stop and give praise to God.

A new home is pretty momentous -- and something made possible, not because of my work or my wife's work, but because of God's provision.  We have been reminded again and again over the last six weeks just how much God longs to bless his children:

Philippians 4:19: "My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need".

Psalm 107:9: "He satisfies the thirsty and fills up the hungry".

Psalm 23:1,5,6: "The Lord is my sheperd, I have everything I need... You pour oil of blessing on my head, you fill my cup to overflowing... Surely your goodness and love will be with me, all my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord, forever".

Today I wanted to share an open prayer from my heart to God - a prayer of thanksgiving for all He has done for me, my wife and our family - we are truly blessed.  Sometimes it's good to remember that.  We can get so busy that we can overlook just how much God gives from his storehouse -- the Lord is, as I was reminded in prayer a few weeks ago, truly great in His storehouse:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for our new home.  Thank you Lord that it is a place of rest, of joy, a place where you can dwell and where the fellowship you desire to have with us and with others can be made possible.  Thank you Lord for every piece of workmanship and material that has gone into building this home -- the materials were made by you, and you blessed the workmen with the talents and skills necessary to bring this home to completion.

Father, we know that all we have comes from your hands.  We acknowledge that you have blessed us more than we deserve but that you love to bless us because you love to demonstrate your enduring love and commitment to your children.

We pray that our home will be a place of laughter, a place of celebration, a place of refuge from every storm.  Let it be a place where family and friends feel like the weight of the world is lifted off their shoulders -- a place where there is warmth and a special glow... a glow that comes from your Holy Spirit shining through us as keepers of this home.

Lord we have given to you - at your request - a prayer room at the top of the stairs. Let this place be one of reflection, a place where you dwell and where we can go when we need to close out everything else and just celebrate and study all that you are.  Let it be a place where all who enter feel blessed -- a place of continual fellowship and harmony.

Father, may our home do your work - may it shelter those who need shelter, may it feed those who need food, may it bless all those in our neighborhood.  May we be known among those on our street as children of God -- and let YOUR light shine from us, brightly, every day.

Lord, we know we are in a season right now that you are bringing us through.  We know that that season will end at a time of your choosing, and we pray that you will continue to give us the love, the strength, the perseverance and the faith necessary to get us through this time.  We pray for an influx of YOUR thoughts, your Holy Spirit and your joy into our hearts and lives.  Let us embrace with all that we are - in mind, body, heart and soul - the words of 2 Timothy 1:7 which remind us that you have given us power, love and soundness of mind.  Let us live what we know to be true: that greater are YOU Lord in us, then he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

We thank you for the jobs that we have when so many are struggling and we are sorry for the times when we have seemed ungrateful for the jobs we have.  Sometimes, Lord, we fail to realize just how truly blessed we are because we get too caught up in the ongoing stresses of every day life -- but you call us to rise above that (Romans 12:2) and to be inspired by a new way of thinking.  Let that be so Father.  Let that be so.

Lord, we thank you for how you have blessed us with transportation -- Lord, those are your cars as well.  Let us always be willing to use them to further your kingdom and to help those who need help.

We are grateful for all that we have because it ALL comes from you.  We thank you for the way you cradle us in your hands, the way you smile down at us every day, the way your Son walks within and beside us, and the way you commission your heavenly angels to stand guard over us.

We are blessed to call you Father - let us, Lord, do your will in our new home, and every day of our lives.

Thank you Abba.

Amen.