November 20, 2012
Bible verses on Thanksgiving
Traditional Thanksgiving Day celebrations in North America started with stories of newly transplanted pilgrims and Native Americans sharing a meal of wild turkey and any edible plants they could find, which, in my reenactment, would surely include popping fresh cranberries! However, the idea of thanksgiving began thousands of years earlier as Bible people gave their ongoing thanks to God our Creator, Provider, and Father of All.
Now, in our Christian writing life, these verses on thanksgiving, freshly plucked from the Bible, give us food for thought as we continuously give our thanks to God in all writing genres:
Leviticus 22:29
“When you bring a thanksgiving offering to the LORD, offer it appropriately for acceptance.”
2 Chronicles 29:31
“Then Hezekiah said, ‘Since you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD, bring your sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings to the Temple of the LORD.’ So the people brought sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings, and those with willing hearts brought even more."
Nehemiah 12:46
“Long ago David and Asaph began the custom of having choir directors lead hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God.”
Psalm 26:6-7
“I come to Your altar, O LORD, singing my thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders.”
Psalm 28:7
“The LORD is the strength and shield I trust with all my heart to help me, and so my heart is filled with such joy, songs of thanksgiving burst from me!”
Psalm 69:30
“I will praise God’s name with my song. I will honor God with my thanksgiving.”
Psalm 100:4
“Go into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Give thanks! Praise the name of the LORD forever.”
Psalm 107:1-2
Give thanks to the LORD for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell everyone your God redeems.”
Psalm 116:17
“I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving as I call on the name of the LORD.”
Isaiah 51:3
“Yes, the LORD will comfort Israel again and have compassion on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden. Her barren wilderness will become like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will blossom. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.”
Luke 10:21
“Filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, Jesus prayed to God: ‘Oh, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank You for hiding wise things from clever people who think they're wise while revealing Your wisdom to the childlike.”
Corinthians 4:15
“As God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be more and more thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.”
Colossians 1:3
"We (Paul and Timothy) pray always for you and give thanks for you to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Revelation 7:11-13
“All of the angels standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings fell face down before the throne and worshipped God, singing:
“Amen! So be it! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength belong to the LORD our God
forever and ever! Amen.”
~~
© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved, but pass it on.
~~
November 1, 2012
Prayer power!
Our recent Discussion about prayer in the Christian Poets & Writers group on LinkedIn evoked some great metaphors.
As Michael Spangle said, “Prayer has no more power than an electric cord. Plugging the cord into a wall outlet will connect the device the cord is connected to with the power in the wall outlet. Prayer is like that. It connects us to the power God has. Then power flows into our lives through prayers said in faith.”
When we see our prayers as a means of plugging into God for our current concerns we won't be shocked by the power we have in Christ. (All puns intended.)
A big concern, though, (thanks Rosalie Squires) is if a frayed cord interrupts the power flow to us from God.
To carry the analogy further, some have experienced violent trauma that broke the plug, while others (like me) have allowed ourselves to get circuit overload that caused static or burn-out.
As Christians in general and Christian Poets & Writers in particular, however, we do have prayer power – for ourselves, our country, other people, and the church.
The more open we are to God's healing work in us, the more likely we are to help our readers of all genres and become truly skilled electricians for Christ.
~~
© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved, but pass it on!
~~
As Michael Spangle said, “Prayer has no more power than an electric cord. Plugging the cord into a wall outlet will connect the device the cord is connected to with the power in the wall outlet. Prayer is like that. It connects us to the power God has. Then power flows into our lives through prayers said in faith.”
When we see our prayers as a means of plugging into God for our current concerns we won't be shocked by the power we have in Christ. (All puns intended.)
A big concern, though, (thanks Rosalie Squires) is if a frayed cord interrupts the power flow to us from God.
To carry the analogy further, some have experienced violent trauma that broke the plug, while others (like me) have allowed ourselves to get circuit overload that caused static or burn-out.
As Christians in general and Christian Poets & Writers in particular, however, we do have prayer power – for ourselves, our country, other people, and the church.
The more open we are to God's healing work in us, the more likely we are to help our readers of all genres and become truly skilled electricians for Christ.
~~
© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved, but pass it on!
~~
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