November 2006 

God Is Great, And God Is Good … 

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

“God is great and God is good. Let us thank him for our food.” Do you remember that little prayer? Most of us learned it as children and it serves us well when we're in a pinch or are called upon to offer a prayer in a hurry. C’mon, admit it, you've said that prayer a time or two☺! I'd like to use that little prayer to make two points:

1. It's a good prayer: This little prayer of thanksgiving acknowledges God for who he is. He “is great.” It acknowledges God for his gracious and merciful character. He “is good.” And it acknowledges him as the giver of something that most of us tend to think we have worked to earn – our food. Yet in this prayer, we “thank him for our food.” We recognize that he is the giver of even the most basic necessities of life. It's a good prayer. We really shouldn't knock it.

2. Taking the time to give thanks. I mentioned that we resort to such a brief prayer when we are pressed for time. The implication is that if we weren’t so rushed, we would offer a more verbose and ornate prayer. The fact of the matter is that many of us use “time” as the reason for not praying or giving thanks. I would suggest that this indicates a wrong view of prayer and of thanksgiving (not the holiday). Where does the Bible say that a prayer must be long and involved, or that giving thanks must be a complex activity? Quite to the contrary; we are encouraged in Scripture to pray continually and to give thanks and all circumstances. Perhaps if we understood prayer and giving thanks as a simpler matter we would be more willing to offer prayers of thanks more frequently. Truly, we must admit that it is better to offer a prayer such as “God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Amen.” than to offer no prayer at all. And in fact this little prayer is just as good and effective as a more complicated prayer if it comes from deep within a heart full of thanks.

As the season of Thanksgiving approaches, let your thoughts turn to the matter of giving God, your Creator and Sustainer, many thanks for all the blessings he has so graciously bestowed on you. God is not judging the length and quality of your prayers – He just wants to know that you appreciate what He has done for you. Why not thank him right now?!

See you in ministry!

Pastor Augie