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Being Intentionally Thankful in Prayer  

This past Sunday, Pastor Danny highlighted the idea of “giving thanks.”  The first passage that we looked at was John 6, where Jesus fed the 5,000.  Before Jesus distributed the food, he gave thanks to God for the food.  This seems normal, right?  We do this all the time.  When we sit together with our families for a meal, we thank God for the food.  When we get together with Small Groups, we do it as well.  But I would like for us to think about our intentionality in giving thanks for the food in our prayers.  

1.  Has giving thanks become a duty? I know for me, when I have the opportunity to say the prayer before any meal, I am prone to just saying “thank you for this food” as a mundane task that has to be said because I’ve always said it.  My heart’s focus is not on actual thanksgiving but on duty.  Over the years of hearing other people’s prayers, I have learned about ways I can be thankful to God in mealtime.  I have learned to think intentionally about things I can be thankful for.  One way is by thanking God for our tastebuds.  We don’t deserve the gift of enjoying a meal, yet God in his grace, has allowed us to taste food.  Covid has shown us that taste is a fantastic thing, a great blessing from God.  

Application Question: What are some other specific things you can think of to be thankful for during mealtime?  

2.  Are you intentional at being willing and in offering to pray?  We meet for Small Groups every other Sunday.  It is normal in the life of our church.  Most, if not all, Small Groups have a meal during the meeting time.  There is an opportunity for you to pray for the meal.  A common fear for a lot of people is that they don’t pray “good enough” to pray out loud.  ‘What if I mess up?’  ‘What if I stumble over words?’  There is no “good enough” way to pray in that sense.  God cares about your heart in praying. If you are humble and come to Him in faith, giving thanksgiving to Him, then it doesn’t matter if you stumble over your words or you aren’t as eloquent as you think you should be.  

Application Question: When was the last time you prayed in Small Groups?...either at the meal or during prayer time?  Perhaps this Sunday could be the day you pray out loud in your Small Group.