Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

By Prayer and Petition with Thanksgiving #2

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by prayer and petition with thanksgiving

This week, we continue lacing our prayers and petitions with thanksgiving to God.   Today, I found inspiration in the Psalms – chapters filled with praise and thankful songs.

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Psalm 107 in particular is a call to give thanks.  And we have more than enough reason for unending gratitude.

 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.  Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story…”  Psalms 107:1-2 NIV

 

More About This Passage of Thanksgiving

 

At the time of it’s authorship, the redeemed of the Lord referred to the nation of Israel, who had been saved from persecution, slavery, oppression and trouble, and brought back to the land from worldwide dispersion (Believer’s Bible Commentary).  And now, all of us who have been saved from slavery to sin count ourselves among the redeemed.

 

As we pray together, meditate on all the living God has redeemed in your life.  No matter what else we face, we can bring thanksgiving for that!

by prayer and petition with thanksgiving

 

Replace the pronouns with the appropriate ones for the person (or yourself) that you are praying for.

 

I would love it if you would fill the comments this month with things for which you thank our Lord and Savior.  Let’s flood this space with gratitude.  And don’t forget to share this on your favorite social media platform using the icons below.  Invite others to join in the thanksgiving.  And if you don’t want to miss any of the party, subscribe using the form on the right hand side of this page.

 

Praying for you in this.

Lauren

 

 

By Prayer and Petition with Thanksgiving #1

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Commercially, the Thanksgiving holiday gets dwarfed between Halloween costumes and Christmas presents.  I get it.  Retailers can only sell so many pumpkins and cornucopia decorations.  But

I love it.  The emphasis on our blessings instead of our perceived deficiencies soothes me.  Time off with family without the stress of finding just the right gift.  Not to mention some of my favorite foods and football!

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As my heart turns toward thanking God more and grumbling less, I decided to reflect that in our prayer time each week this month.  We start with the passage that inspired the title of this limited series.

 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Philippians 4:6 NIV

 

The Believer’s Bible Commentary describes prayer as “both an act and an atmosphere”.  I love this.  Instead of bringing our list of requests once a day (although I do this), we can live a life of constant prayer.  And this, I believe, along with gratitude for who God is and all He does, helps to dispel our anxiety.

 

My prayer for a loved one:

 

 

Replace the pronouns with the appropriate ones for the person (or yourself) that you are praying for.

 

I would love it if you would fill the comments this month with things you for which you thank our Lord and Savior.  Let’s flood this space with gratitude.  And don’t forget to share this on your favorite social media platform using the icons below.  Invite others to join in the thanksgiving.  And if you don’t want to miss any of the party, subscribe using the form on the right hand side of this page.

 

Praying for you in this.

Lauren

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