Thankful for the Lord's Peace

Amid another shutdown in New Mexico, I have much to be thankful for. My family is healthy, and we love one another and the Lord. Covid won’t interrupt our gathering together for Thanksgiving. We haven’t done that for 12 years because of 1200 miles that separate us. But Covid may interrupt our plans to spend Christmas together. I’m still thankful. I have the Lord’s peace in my heart.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body you were called to peace.
And be thankful.
Colossians 3:15, NIV

One of my favorite outings takes place along the Rio Grande. Perhaps you’ve seen the pictures I’ve posted on Facebook. My husband and I walk the trails there often. I’m thankful we can don our masks and enjoy the outdoors together. We say hello to those we pass and often comment on the beautiful day.

One man this past week wasn’t thankful to have us stroll past him or speak to him. He mumbled under his breath that in twenty years of walking the trails, he’d seen more people that day than ever before. An odd statement because the parking lot had several open spots when we pulled in and parked. The man also made the comment that there must have been an AARP conference in town that just let out for all the people he’d seen (including us). Clearly the man was troubled. He called out to us with a loud voice after we passed by and said something about our son. The chance he knew us, or our son (who lives in Tennessee) was slim.

We could have responded with the same level of rudeness he implied. Instead, we walked on. But that wasn’t enough for me—the Lord called me to pray. Whether the man was drunk or high, didn’t matter to me. I prayed for him to get the help he needed and asked the Lord to protect him from harm. I also asked God to remove the man’s heart of stone and to give him a heart of flesh.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
I will remove from you your heart of stone
and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26, NIV

In the troubled times we live in, I’m thankful for the Lord’s peace and will continue to pray for those who may not have the same eternal hope I have.

I’m also thankful for you and leave you with this blessing:

Now may the Lord of peace himself
give you peace at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:16, NIV

Words of Encouragement

When I was a little girl and felt wounded over something that happened (usually because one of my big brothers teased me), Mom or Dad would rescue me. They invited me to crawl up into their laps, where I found solace as they wrapped their arms around me and spoke words of encouragement.

I often did the same for my children when they suffered trouble or mishaps. I’d call them to me, hold them in my arms, and pray for them.

God desires to do the same for us. Through His mercy, He calls us to Him to comfort us in our times of distress. He invites us to share that same encouragement with others who find themselves in difficult situations.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those
in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV

Comfort here means to encourage, pray, call near, or invite. In what ways do we find the comfort that we need to share with others?

When I’m filled with despair, worry, or concerns about things in my life, God invites me to read His Word where I find strength, peace, and encouragement. He calls me near as I pray and seek His answers to my questions. To rest in God’s love and His Word speaks to me. I can then share His love with others who need support through prayer and words of hope.

Often, I don’t feel worthy of His calling to comfort others. My words of encouragement may not always express what my heart longs to share. But I’m learning to push through that awkwardness and rely more upon the Lord and His reassurance to me as stated in this blessing.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, NIV

I’m being strengthened as I step out in faith to bless others through what I do and say. I receive this blessing from the Lord and will continue to do my best to offer words of encouragement to others. This blessing is for you too.

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Photo by Niklas Veenhuis - Unsplash

Saying Grace

Has someone asked you to say grace before a meal? Why is the word “grace” used to describe a mealtime prayer? I’ve heard God’s grace described as His unmerited favor and kindness toward us. Grace, we don’t earn or deserve. But what does it mean to “say grace”?

I think of a mealtime prayer as giving thanks and investigated the meaning of grace to find out its connection to thanksgiving. The word grace (charis) in the Greek also means gratitude, favor, gift, benefit, pleasure, and thanks. When we say grace before our meal, we are giving thanks and showing gratitude for God’s bountiful gifts.

As a child, I learned this simple prayer for mealtime:
God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food.

I found this traditional prayer while researching for this blog post:
God our Father, Lord, and Savior,
Thank you for Your love and favor,
Bless this food and drink we pray,
And all who share with us today.

In God’s Word, we see Jesus giving thanks for food when He fed the 5000, during the Lord’s Supper, and in the Emmaus Road story after his resurrection.

In the story of feeding the 5000, “given thanks” is used in John 6:11, ESV and “said a blessing” is used in Mark 6:41 and Matthew 14:19.

Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
Matthew 14:19

The Greek word for bless (eulogeo) is to speak well of, thank or invoke a benediction upon.

We find the same descriptions used in the retelling of the Lord’s Supper. In Matthew 26:26, the ESV uses the word, "blessing.” Luke 22:19, uses “given thanks.”

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Luke 22:19

Thanks, used here, is the word eucharisteo in the Greek, and means to be grateful, express gratitude, and give thanks. The words “said a blessing” and “given thanks” appear to be interchangeable in the verses above due to their similar meanings.

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
1 Timothy 4:4-5

Although I don’t recite a traditional prayer before I eat, my family does say grace. We believe we should follow our Lord’s example by offering God thanksgiving for our food as Christ did, whether we call it saying grace, saying the blessing, or giving thanks.

Do you have a favorite mealtime prayer or one you learned as a child?

Gratitude

In June I became more mindful of gratitude. To note items in a journal didn’t work for me, but when a friend suggested an app, I got on board. During June and July, I made entries 33% of the days. That was good for me! Since then, I’ve only updated the app twice.

As I reviewed my entries, I found a recurring theme—I love sunshine! Additional items I noted more than once included God’s peace and blessings, spending time with my husband and family, and good health. Other things I was grateful for included lunch with friends, my church, worship music, and being appreciated.

As Thanksgiving draws near, I’d like to share a few other blessings I am grateful for in my life.

• My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I cannot imagine my life without God.

•  My husband’s love and commitment to the Lord, our family, and me. I am a blessed woman.

This year’s blessings include the following:

• My eldest daughter and her excitement over my first two books along with the love we share for hiking trails and photography. I’ve enjoyed our time together.

• My son and his love for family games, even though he likes some games that I think are odd. I enjoy playing them with him and his family.

• My youngest daughter who cons me into buying her stuff she doesn’t need and teaches me new dance steps that I cannot do well. I enjoy spending time with her, anyway.

• The ladies in my Bible study group who pray for me and bless me.

• My writing critique partners and first readers of my novel who have encouraged me and given me honest feedback to improve my story.

• Those who have subscribed to my website’s email list and those who enjoy my blog posts and leave comments or share my posts on Social Media.

• Two devotions accepted this year for online publishing. One posted on christiandevotions.us in September, and one is scheduled to post on www.cbn.com on November 23. Also, I was a guest blogger on Suite T-The Author’s Blog.

• A recent blessing—I am thankful to have signed a contract for a three-book series with Winged Publications, Forget Me Not Romances. Book 1 is coming soon!

I am grateful for many things, although I don’t write them down as I should. I do thank God for them all.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

(Psalm 118:1, NIV)

Do you keep a gratitude journal? Please share something for which you are thankful.