With Thanksgiving

Today’s Scripture: Philippians 4:6 and Matthew 9:20-22 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?

My thoughts on this passage (Tyler Connoley):

Most of us know Mike Driskell, one of the founding members of Jesus MCC. Besides being a willing punchline to Pastor Jeff’s jokes, Mike is a man of great faith. Granted with the gift of healing, he’s been the conduit for God’s power in many people’s (and even animal’s) lives.

I’ve personally experienced the efficacy of Mike’s prayers. Once when my spouse Rob had an unexplained lump on his chest, we decided to go to the church community for healing. Rob had been to a doctor who said the lump was probably benign, but we should keep an eye on it. He assured us it would never go away, but we should worry if it grew any larger.

That Sunday, at church, we asked a few people to gather around us after after the service to pray, and we made sure Mike was one of them. Mike prayed, “Thank you God for removing this lump.” My prayer was less sure: “God, if it’s your will, please make this lump benign.” Whatever the nature of that lump, we’ll never know, because the next day it was gone. The outcome Mike had thanked God for ahead of time had come to pass.

Rob and I also asked Mike to say a public prayer of blessing over us at our wedding. After we said our vows and exchanged rings, Mike stood behind us, placed his hands on our shoulders, and prayed for our future together. Again, as with the prayer of healing, Mike couched all of his requests in thanksgiving. He thanked God for the strength of our marriage and for the ways God would use us as a couple.

Later, I asked Mike about his “thank you” prayers, and he pointed me to Philippians 4:6. It says there, “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Mike takes the Bible very seriously, choosing to follow this admonition to the letter, and I think this has something to do with the effectiveness of his prayers.

You see, when we thank God ahead of time for the good things God will do in our lives, it increases our faith. Instead of saying, “God, please, please, please help me,” we can say, “Thank you, God. Thank you, for your help.” And that act reorients us from a place of fear and worry to a place of faith and trust. Say those two phrases to yourself and notice how different even your body feels as you say them.

Thought for the day: Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t worry about anything.” And Jesus says, “Your faith has healed you.” An attitude of gratitude can help us move from worry to faith.

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to start, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.