Daniel 2:20-23; Matthew 11:25-27
June 25, 2023
- Exploring Prayer of Gratitude
Somewhere between here and Dillwyn, a farmer was tending to his horse named Buddy, and along came a stranger who was in a desperate spot. His car had run off the road into a ditch. He asked the farmer if his horse could somehow pull the small vehicle out of the ditch for him. The farmer said he would come, bring his horse, and take a look, but could not make any promises. The farmer found the small car in the ditch just as the stranger described, so he took a rope and fixed it so that his horse, Buddy, would be able to pull the vehicle out of the ditch. The farmer then said, “Pull, Casey, Pull,” but the horse did not budge. The farmer then said, “Pull, Bailey, Pull,” but the horse did not budge. The farmer then said, “Pull, Mandy, Pull,” and again the horse did not move. The farmer then said, “Pull, Buddy, Pull,” and the horse pulled until the vehicle was out of the ditch. The stranger was so very grateful, but asked the farmer why he called the horse by different names? The farmer said, “Buddy is blind, and I had to make him think he had help pulling the car out of the ditch or he would not have pulled.”
That just goes to prove that sometimes you can provide help in ways that your Buddy might not see coming. Bad jokes aside, we are talking about the good, gracious, and loving help of prayer. Today, we are wrapping up this series on different kinds of prayer. We have considered prayer of praise to God, asking God for help for ourselves and for others, and today we are embracing what I think is the sweetest kind of prayer, prayer of gratitude or prayer of thankfulness.
At some point, we have all had our car stuck in a ditch metaphorically. We have all needed help, and we have all received help. My guess is that often that help did not come in a way that we expected. Our two passages from Scripture are also prayers of thankfulness. You can understand profound gratitude from Daniel as they are saved from certain death with God’s help. Yes, Daniel’s experiences in Babylon seem to be like that. Here the king had such disturbing dreams and needed answers that he threatened everyone and everybody who might be a dream interpreter with death unless they could not only tell him the interpretation but also the dream itself to prove that they were legitimate and not just making things up. As you might imagine, all of the king’s people were dismayed believing it impossible to do such a thing. Daniel, however, received help from the Lord. And, yes, he was very grateful.
Jesus’ prayer is a little different. Rather than gratitude for sharing knowledge, he is thankful that knowledge has not been shared. Jesus has been travelling the roads around the Sea of Galilee and so many places seem to be rejecting his ministry. Just before these verses, he calls out places who should have repented before the Son of God but have not, including Capernaum (the home of the fishermen disciples). Jesus appreciates that the high and mighty and powerful did not receive his message, but it was received by the small and humble and poor. Today, you could imagine that the area leaders would reject Jesus’ call to change but the people who had the very least would welcome his promise for something different. The powerful and comfortable are always the most insistent to keep their power and comfort, but Jesus is truly grateful for the ones who did hear him and trust him.
I feel pretty certain that you have had moments of great gratitude to God. Maybe it was the birth of a child in your family or some other addition. Maybe you were worried through some kind medical situation, and you found God’s help through that time. Maybe you found yourself in a desperate situation with life changes and weren’t sure how it could possibly work out, and you found good and faithful and loving help. So, so, so often we are God’s help to one another, and for that we should all be grateful. I want to reflect on four experiences from my weekend, however, that give me a thankful spirit, because these might well be how you hold gratitude in your hearts, as well.
We begin with an anniversary party. Some longtime friends celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary Friday, and Anne and I were invited. Sure, the party itself was nice, but what made me truly grateful was when they were talking about getting through the hard times. You often don’t hear people share very openly how their relationship was challenged, that maybe things got very tough sometimes, that maybe things almost didn’t make it, but this glimpse into another couple’s life made me grateful that people struggle just like I feel I struggle sometimes. We should be able to relate to one another’s experiences and take comfort in the fact that we are all on this walk together. Too much of our sharing is whitewashed because we don’t want people to know how tough it is sometimes. This is to our discredit. Also, if we are not honest, we will never be as grateful for the grace that God has given us.
The second experience was an amazing glimpse into a beautiful garden space. John and Joanne Doss, two of our newer members, have a beautiful home that they are working on up in Cumberland, but the garden areas that Joanne has cultivated are truly one of the more amazing things that I have seen around here. You will see some pictures from her work on our Facebook page in the weeks to come, but when you are surrounded by more fantastic blooms than you can count and hearts willing to share that glory, it is very easy to be grateful to God.
My third time of thankfulness is from this morning. My youngest daughter, Rachel, who is now a senior in high school and who struggled greatly through COVID, not only made it into Governor’s School this last year but did well enough to also travel to Radford University for a month of extra classes and experiences with other Governor’s School students from around the Commonwealth. She had to apply and was accepted for this, and it was all her idea to blaze that trail – entirely her own initiative. I am dumbfounded and amazed with how she has taken this on and led her own way to this time of stepping out of the boat. It has been very hard over the last few years, but this is a gift I would not have expected, and I am grateful.
The last experience is not one you will expect. Yesterday, Anne and I also went to a visitation for a young African-American man who died in an automobile accident last week. He was a student she knew from school and enjoyed, so it was especially important for her to attend that visitation. The place was packed, especially with young people. The place was also packed with emotions, so much grief and pain and trouble, but there was just a genuine heart of love. What we thought was the visitation suddenly became the funeral itself, and we got swept right into that worship with everyone else. No, we are not grateful when lives are cut short like that. We are not grateful for those losses, but as people of faith, we can absolutely be grateful for special relationships as long as we might have them. We can be grateful not only to have special people in our lives but also for God’s help when those relationships change and even end.
My point today is not to just talk about my life or what I am up to. This is not about me but about how I experienced gratitude in some very profound ways this weekend that you might also be able to relate to. Thankfulness is one of the most important things we can carry with us, and we often neglect it in the busyness of life. We get bogged down in the mundane and take far too much for granted. I know I do. This weekend, however, the very weekend that I am reflecting on praying in gratitude, I found myself constantly appreciating what God has done around me and around us.
Pray with me…
God of beauty, wonder, and grace, in the precious holiness of this moment, we lift our hearts and hands to you. Fill this space with your Spirit and lift our hearts in thanks. You have been good to us through the ages and to this very day. In the promise of your goodness for the years to come, we give ourselves to you in faith. In the middle of our celebrations and triumphs, we give you thanks. As we receive the glory of your good creation, we give you thanks. As we recognize how we are helpless without your love, we give you thanks. In the midst of our pain and loss and suffering, we also give you thanks. You have called us to pray without ceasing, and you have never ceased to give us reasons to continue to pray. Thank you for bringing our lives closer to yours. Thank you for the blessing of shared life in your Spirit. Thank you for the goodness we have known, even in the shortest of times. No matter what happens to us, give us space to continue to find reasons for gratitude. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.
Hopefully, you see how there is always a reason to find gratitude toward God. This very day is a gift, the most supreme gift. There is no gift like the very opportunity to enjoy God together in this day with all of God’s children. May these thoughts also call your hearts to appreciate the gifts that you have known in others, in the experiences that have enriched your lives, in the ways you have seen how special we are in this world. Even in the most difficult of times, God is with us and loving us into something new. And we can be thankful to even have prayer.
My prayer is for you. I hope your prayer is for us all, as well. And may our prayer hold all of God’s children in love and faithfulness. Thank you for praying with me today to the glory of God. Amen.