It is good to be thankful to God because everything good that we have comes from heaven. But have you ever thought about what Jesus was thankful for? What is recorded in the scriptures for us? There are five times that we see specifically what Jesus thanked the Father for: He thanked Him three times for bread; He thank Him for whom He chooses to reveal His Son and His kingdom; and He thanked the Father for always hearing His prayers. As Jesus is, so are we!

Session 6: “I Am So Thankful” transcript/ notes

Introduction

Welcome to Session 6 of “As Jesus Is, So Am I.” This session is entitled, “I am So Thankful! I’ll begin with a prayer –

Deuteronomy 32:2, NLT – Let my teaching fall on you like rain; let my speech settle like dew. Let my words fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young plants. [In Jesus’s name, Amen]

There are unlimited things we can be thankful for. As I was pondering that this week, I was reminded of a prayer I read recently that was written by one of our kids years ago:

Lord, thank You for everything that You’ve given us, like sleep, forgiveness, water, metal, paper, cardboard, love, air, trees, colors, eyes, brains, hair, hats, cloth, silk, worms, caterpillars, butterflies, flowers, bees, fur, pants, legs, arms, hands, fingers, rings, gold, rubies, diamonds, strength, mussels, clams, fish, teeth, tongue, taste, mouth, thoughts, noses, lungs, stomachs, livers, grandmothers, time, and everything else You’ve given us!

I love that! It’s good to learn from a young age that everything good that we have came from God.

John 3:27 – “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.”

Romans 8:32- He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, [on a cross] how shall He not with [Jesus] Him also freely give us all things? [If He gave the Best, He’ll give rest. Knowing that He gave Jesus means He is holding no good thing from us!]

So let’s look at Jesus and behold Him. Let’s see what He thanked His Father for because “As Jesus is, so are we.” Of all the things that Jesus was thankful for, what were the ones that were specially recorded in the scriptures for us?

Well, I could find five different ones. How appropriate because five is the number of grace. And everything we are grateful for is because of His grace.

Interestedly, the Latin root of the English word “grace” is “gratus” which means “thankful.”

#1 – Feeding of the 5000

So I want to start with three times that Jesus thanked the Father for the same thing: bread.

We’ll start with the feeding of the 5000.

Mark 6:41, NIV – Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people.

The feeding of the 5000 was a sign with two purposes:

1. To reveal that Jesus is the Provider for everything we need in our natural lives on earth.
2. To reveal that Jesus Himself is our Bread of Life. [He is the bread that He is thanking the Father for.]

As the Provider for our natural lives, when Jesus looked up to heaven, I believe He was thanking the Father, not only for the physical bread itself which would nourish the people, but also for this moment when God would open their eyes to see that He Himself was their Provider., that He was the image of the Father. They were accustomed to offering thanksgiving to God, but Jesus is thanking God for this moment where He will be revealed as the image of the Father.

God was showing the people that –

John 1:3 – All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

This bread was not coming from His disciples. It was not coming from a little boy who offered his lunch. It came from Jesus. And Jesus thanked the Father for this revelation that He Himself is the Provider of everything we need, and that He Himself is more than enough.

The actual timing of the miracle proves it. The bread did not multiply in the disciples’ hands. It multiplied in Jesus’s hands between the breaking and the giving.

Mark 6:41, NIV, again – Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people.

“Broke” is in the aorist Greek verb tense, meaning it was a one time action, never to be repeated. But “gave” is in the imperfect tense – meaning the giving was a continuous act – it multiplied.

Jesus broke the bread once, and He never broke it again. However, the act of giving the bread was continuous.

This, of course, is a picture of the cross and what happened when His body was broken for us. That one act would never be repeated – it was one sacrifice for sins forever – but the life flowing from that one act would be continuous and everlasting life.

That leads me to the 2nd purpose of this sign of the feeding of the 5000: to reveal that Jesus is the Bread of Life given to us that that we would never hunger again.

After the feeding of the 5000, the people called Jesus the Prophet, like Moses. Jesus had provided bread for them in the wilderness just as Moses had provided the manna in the wilderness.

John 6:32-33, 47-51 – Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” [In other words, the significance of the manna is not that Moses fed the people. The manna was a shadow of Jesus! It’s a picture of the Father offering the real Bread from heaven.] … 47 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

When Jesus looked up to heaven and thanked His Father for the bread, He was thanking Him for the life in His own flesh which would He would give so that they would never die, but have eternal life.

#2 – The Last Supper

This leads us to the second place that Jesus thanked the Father for bread: at the Last Supper.

Matthew 26:26-27, NIV – While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

The Greek word for “given thanks” is eucharisteō which means to be grateful, to be thankful. The Lord’s Supper is often called the Eucharist because of the Greek word for giving thanks. Jesus said –

Luke 22:19 – “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

Whenever we take the Lord’s supper, we are remembering the sacrifice of Jesus when His body was broken and His blood was shed at the cross, and we express our gratefulness to Him. [eucharisteō] We often talk about how we aren’t focusing on our sin. We are focusing on His sacrifice for our sins and our sicknesses. We thank Him for healing us through the stripes on His body and for making us righteous by washing our sins away in His blood.

But have you ever realized why Jesus Himself gave thanks? As Jesus is, so are we. Part of our remembrance is to remember that Jesus Himself was thankful. What was He thankful for?

He was thankful for His own body which would soon be broken for us. He was thankful that from the foundation of the world God prepared a body for Him, a body that would be given for us.

He was thankful for His own blood, His precious blood, the blood of the spotless Lamb of God, which would soon be shed for us.

Who was He thanking? The Father. He and the Father are One. When you thank God, you are coming into agreement with God.

• Jesus was thankful for the perfect plan of God to redeem us because He loves us.
• Jesus was thankful that He would have the honor of standing in our place because He loves us.
• Jesus was thankful that He would have the privilege of laying down His life for the wicked because He loves us.
• Jesus was thankful that He would be drinking the cup of suffering and shame and sickness and pain and sin and the curse and death because He loves us.

Jesus wasn’t thankful because He enjoyed pain or because He loved shame. No. It was –

Hebrews 12:2 – for the joy that was set before Him [He] endured the cross, despising the shame, [because that shame was our shame] and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [Having finished the work.]

When we remember that Jesus was thankful for His own body and blood, we are remembering that He’s thanking God because He’s going to die. He “demonstrated his own love towards us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) We are remembering how much He loves us.

#3 – Emmaus

Now to the third account of Jesus thanking the Father for bread: this was when He broke bread with the two from Emmaus. This time the bread signifies the Word of God.

For background let’s look at two scriptures that refer to the Word of God. In the desert temptation –

Matthew 4:3-4 – Now when the tempter came to Him [Jesus], he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He [Jesus] answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

Jesus is the living Word that has proceeded from the Father.

John 1:1, 14 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 

To behold the glory of God is to behold His Son. To behold the glory of God is to see His grace. It’s to have a revelation that Jesus is the Person of grace – charis – the unearned, undeserved, unmerited favor of God. Jesus is God’s gift of grace to the world.

And to behold the glory of God is to have a revelation that Jesus is the truth about who God is. He is God’s perfect self-expression in human form. He is the manifestation of God’s will and nature.

Colossians 1:15 – He is the image of the invisible God.

Hebrews 1:3, NASB – He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.

John 14:9 – [Jesus said – ] “If you’ve seen Me you’ve seen the Father.”

Jesus is the Word made flesh. “Word” is the Greek word “logos.” The choice of that word “logos” by John in John 1 to refer to Jesus is very significant because “logos” was commonly used among both Greek and Hebrew scholars to refer to the personification of the Word of God in the Old Testament.

“Logos” was often used in their paraphrases of Old Testament scriptures to personify God’s will and revelation. For instance,

Psalm 33:6 – By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

They would use the Greek word “logos” when retelling that scripture. “By the ‘logos’ of the Lord the heavens were made.” The “word” is personified – it has qualities of a person. Another example:

Psalm 107:20 – He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Originally that was written in Hebrew, but they would retell it, “He sent His ‘logos’ and healed them.” So “logos” is like a Person with power. It’s not just words on a page.

So what John is saying is that the Person behind the personification of God’s word, His will, and His wisdom is Jesus.

As you recall, Jesus appeared to the two on the Road to Emmaus, They were returning from Jerusalem and were very distraught about Jesus being crucified. He restrained their eyes from recognizing Him, and then He walked with them on the road for miles and unraveled the Scarlet Thread throughout the whole Old Testament for them.

Luke 24:27 – …beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

• He’s the Tree of Life.
• He’s Noah’s Ark.
• He’s in the Burning Bush.
• He’s the spotless lamb on the altar in the Holy of Holies.
• He’s the Mercy Seat.
• He’s the High Priest.
• It’s His blood painted on the doorpost.
• He’s the Passover Lamb.
• He’s the ram caught in the thicket.
• He’s the bronze serpent in the wilderness that they would look to and be healed.
• And on and on and on….

The whole time their eyes were restrained from knowing who He was because It was more important that they see Him in the word than it was that they see Him in the flesh.

As they neared Emmaus, they asked Him to come into the house.

Luke 24:30-32, 35 – Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed [which means “gave thanks”] and broke it, and gave it to them. [Same from verbs used in the feeding of the 5000 and the Lords’ supper: Jesus took, blessed (or thanked), broke, and gave the bread to them] 31 Then their eyes were opened [Dianoigō – to open fully, to open the eyes and the ears; to open the mind of one, to cause to understand] and they knew Him [epiginōskō – to know thoroughly, to have full knowledge, to have deep revelation]; and He vanished from their sight. [They knew that He was the Word made flesh. When did they know? In the breaking of the bread. He is the Bread that proceeds from the Father. They knew that He was the living “logos” throughout the Old Testament scriptures] 32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”… [The two ran back to Jerusalem to tell the others they had seen the risen Christ.] 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.”

When Jesus thanked the Father for the bread, He was thanking the Father for giving Cleopas and His companion the revelation that He Himself is the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth. He is the personification of all the truth about God throughout the scriptures.

Can you see that each time Jesus was thankful for the bread it was because God was opening eyes to who He was? He was so grateful that the time had come! After all the ages, this kairos moment had come to reveal Himself to the world. When He started His ministry He said –

Mark 1:15 – “The time is fulfilled, [kairos! the opportune time!] and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, [metanoeō – change your mind!] and believe in the gospel.”

#4 – The return of the 70

The next record of Jesus giving thanks to the Father that I want to share is in the context of the 70 disciples whom He had sent out to prepare the way for Him. They were messengers of His Gospel of peace – His shalom. They were His representatives, and they returned from their mission full of joy after healing the sick, performing miracles, and casting out demons. The kingdom of heaven was being revealed to them!

Luke 10:17-18 – Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” [Jesus joins in their triumphant joy by sharing a memory of His own] 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” [Jesus was referring to Isaiah 14:12]

Isaiah 14:12 – “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!”

Jesus had cut satan down to the ground, and now He has given His representatives on earth  authority in His name over the power of the enemy.

Luke 10:19-24 – “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” [why is he telling them to rejoice in this? Because he’s rejoicing in this! What kind of people get their names written in heaven?]

He goes on to give thanks to the Father for something that is so precious and encouraging – if you can receive it!

Luke 20:21-24 – In that hour [At that very moment] Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit [NASB – “He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit”; NLT – “Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit”; The Message – “Jesus rejoiced, exuberant in the Holy Spirit”. When you’re filled the joy of the Spirit, you can’t help but thank God. What caused Jesus to be overflowing with joy?] and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, [The One who can do anything!] that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. [CSB – “Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure.” What gives God pleasure? Revealing His Son and His kingdom to babes.]  22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” 23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”

Proverbs 20:12, NLT – Ears to hear and eyes to see—both are gifts from the Lord.

Do you know what comes next in Matthew’s account?

Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, [What was the yoke He was talking about? “The Yoke of the Commandments,” which was another term for the 613 commandments of the law and the endless teachings and orthodoxy of the rabbis. Jesus is saying, “I’m your only Rabbi. Change the way you think. I’m bringing the unforced rhythms of grace!”] for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy [My way of thinking is easy] and My burden is light.”

Who does God choose to reveal His Son and His kingdom to?

• Those who come to Him and take His way of thinking upon them.
• Those who are ready to let go of being lord of their own lives.
• Those who seek rest for their souls.
• Those with childlike faith.

Wise and prudent

Luke 10:21, again – Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.” [CSB – “Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure.”]

Aren’t you grateful that you qualify? He reveals heavenly secrets not to the intellectuals, the PHD’s, the kings, or the billionaires, but to least likely to succeed. Not to the Pharisees or the scribes who should’ve understood who Jesus was and what His ministry was all about.

I love the term Michael Card uses in his study of Luke. He calls it “radical reversal”: when those who should don’t, and those who shouldn’t do.”

Here are the definitions of the Greek words for “wise” and “prudent”:

• Wise – sophos – skilled, expert, cultivated, learned philosophers and orators
• Prudent – synetos – learned, intelligent, clever – Having understanding by synthesizing – Personal comprehension and understanding that results from correlating facts or concepts. (I call it the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil)

Without faith, all that “personal comprehension” can do is express limitations and biases and opinions and endless arguments.

We see the coupling of “wise and prudent” in 1 Corinthians 1:19 when Paul quoted Isaiah 29:14:

1 Corinthians 1:19-21 – For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” [Paul was is quoting Isaiah 29:14. Jesus Himself was also quoting Isaiah 29!] 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through [its] wisdom did not know God, [God saw to it that the world would never know Him apart from faith. You can’t know God through deductive, rational reasoning.] it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

The “message preached” is the Greek word kērygma – which means proclamation by a herald that has the power for its own fulfillment. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation. (Romans 1:16) What is the gospel? Christ crucified as me. Christ buried as me. Christ risen as me. Chris ascended as me. Christ seated as me.

1 Corinthians 1:22-24 – For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; [the wisdom of this world] 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world [of no family, low born] and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 [That’s Radical Reversal! Why?] that no flesh should glory in His presence. [Jesus says, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, because this was Your good pleasure.”] 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God —and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. [Who are the “babes”? Those who boast in Jesus. Those who receive Jesus as their Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption.]

Untrained and uneducated

We see the opposite of “wise and prudent” in Acts 4 in the context of when Peter and John were arrested for healing the lame beggar in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The Pharisees and Scribes didn’t know what to do with them. How could they be preaching and performing miracles when they were “untrained and uneducated” men? Peter and John responded to the interrogators –

Acts 4:10-20 – “let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 13 Now when they saw the boldness [parrēsia] of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they [Peter and John] had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

Peter and John weren’t wise and prudent. They were untrained and uneducated.

• Untrained – agrammatos – unlearned, illiterate, unlettered, unschooled
• Uneducated – idiōtēs – unlearned, ignorant, unskilled in anything, ungifted, illiterate, no status or education, no professional or institutional credentials. Idiōtēs has same root as the word from which we get our word “idiot.” Peter and John were seen as idiots.

They were known to be untrained and uneducated men who had been with Jesus. That was the only credential needed!

And God loves it that way! And Jesus thanked the Father for the way He does it!

#5 – Lazarus

Now to the final account of Jesus giving thanks to the Father. It’s in the story of Lazarus.  Jesus said to His friend Martha, Lazarus’s sister –

John 11:40 – “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

Martha’s brother Lazarus had died and she was understandably upset and grieving. She was even upset with Jesus. She felt like if He had only been there, her brother would not have died.

Jesus finally came, though, and now He’s telling Martha to remove the stone from the grave. She argues that by this time there would be a stench, for he had been dead for four days.

However, before Jesus came – while Lazarus was sick, but still alive – Jesus had sent word back to Mary and Martha that –

John 11:4 – “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Jesus had promised Martha that she would see the glory of God. Now He is reminding her of that –

John 11:40-42 – “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. [What had God heard? Jesus’s prayers for Lazarus. Those prayers are not recorded, but He had prayed. And the answer is recorded: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Jesus didn’t come right away when He heard that Lazarus was sick because He was following the Father’s direction. And now He’s standing in front of an open tomb with a man in it that has been dead for four days. There’s a stench in the breeze. And Jesus is thanking Him as if the miracle had already occurred.] 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

There is a very important, emphatic word that Jesus used here: the word “know.” “I know that You always hear Me.”

It’s a declaration of the continuous communion between the Father and the Son and between heaven and earth, and a consciousness that Jesus had of His Father at all times.

John 5:19 – “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

Jesus had no doubt that God heard Him, but  It was important for the people to know that God always hears Him, so they would know that no one else sent Jesus. And Jesus didn’t come on His own. He was in perfect agreement with the will of God.   

John 11:43-45 – Now when He [Jesus] had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

When did Jesus – in the presence of these grieving people – thank God for always hearing Him?

• When their hope was completely gone.
• When their prayers for Lazarus to live seemed to go unanswered.
• When Jesus seemed to have abandoned them.
• When there was nothing to hang on to except Jesus’s reminder that this sickness would not be unto death and His glory would be revealed.

Jesus also wants us know that God always hears us. As Jesus is so are we. Why does He always hear us? For the same reason – because of our union with Him and our agreement with His will. How do we know that will of God? The word of God. Jesus said, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:13-14)

1 John 5:13-15 – These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. 14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him [Jesus], that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. [As Jesus is, so are we! “Father, I thank You that You hear Me. And I know that You always hear Me] 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

The time that you need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God always hears you is when there is nothing to indicate that He hears you.

The time that you need to be reminded of God’s promises and His will is when everything you see seems to contradict them.

God will answer us because God always hears us. And just as Jesus was glorified in the raising of Lazarus, Jesus will be glorified in our circumstances.

Just as Jesus was God’s answer for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, He is God’s answer for us. Jesus is God’s YES. Let me read some context of that statement to you:

2 Corinthians 1:8-11, NLT – [Paul wrote -] We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. 11 And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety…. 19 For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he [Jesus] always does what he says. 20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

Prayers of thanksgiving

So I want to close today with a little ministry – some prayers that I wrote and some scriptures that have really encouraged me over these last few years. “Let my words fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young plants.” (Deuteronomy 32:2, NLT)

First, let’s thank the Lord for all the things He Himself is thankful for.

Lord Jesus, I thank You for being the Provider of more than enough of everything I need. I thank You for revealing to me that everything I will ever need was provided for me at the cross.

Lord Jesus, I thank You for being my Bread of Life so that I will never go hungry or thirst again.

Lord Jesus, I thank You for offering Your body and blood for me so that I could be healed, made righteous, and live forever with You.

Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me so much that You were thankful to offer Your own body and Your own blood for me. Thank You for being so humble to consider that sacrificing Yourself for me is something You would be grateful for. Help me to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love You have for me.

Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me the revelation that You are the living Word of God made flesh. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me in all the types and shadows of the Old Testament. Thank You for letting me in on the plan of redemption which was hidden for ages. Thank You for removing the veil from my eyes.

Father, thank You for the way You do things. Thank You for opening my ears and eyes to Your Son and the things of Your kingdom, even though I’m not wise and prudent in the things of this world. Thank You for the gift of childlike faith. Thank You for giving me the revelation that even though I am untrained and uneducated, I can understand Your word and share it with others. Thank You for the boldness You give me to spread the gospel and the power You give me to work miracles.

Father, I thank You that You hear me. I know that You always hear me.

God hears, scriptures

Now I’ll just read some scriptures to renew our minds to this truth that God always hears us. Let your mind be washed as You look to Jesus and imagine the glorious answers to your prayers.

Psalm 18:6 – In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

Psalm 118:5, 21 – I called on the Lord in distress, the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place… 21 [Lord,] I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation.

Psalm 116:1-9, NLT – I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. 2 Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! 3 Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: “Please, LORD, save me!” 5 How kind the LORD is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! 6 The LORD protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me. 7 Let my soul be at rest again, for the LORD has been good to me. 8 He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 9 And so I walk in the LORD’s presence as I live here on earth!

Psalm 138:2-3, NLT – I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. 3 As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.

Psalm 34:1-8, 17-19 – I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. 4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. 6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. 8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! …. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of ALL their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

My part:

• I bless the Lord.
• I praise Him.
• I boast in Him.
• I magnify Him.
• I exalt Him.
• I seek Him.
• I look to Him.
• I cry out.
• I taste and see that He is good.
• I trust Him.
• I am righteous.
• I have troubles.
• I have a broken heart.
• I have a contrite spirit.
• I have afflictions.

Jesus’s part:

• He hears me.
• He delivers me from all my fears.
• He hears me.
• He saves me out of all my troubles.
• His angels encamp around me.
• He delivers me.
• He blesses me.
• He hears me.
• He delivers me out of all my troubles.
• He is near to me.
• He heals my broken heart.
• He delivers me from all of my afflictions.

Philippians 4:6-7, The Message – Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Psalm 62:6-8, TPT – There’s no risk of failure with God! So why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me? 7 God’s glory is all around me! His wraparound presence is all I need, for the Lord is my Savior, my hero, and my life-giving strength. 8 Trust only in God every moment! Tell him all your troubles and pour out your heart-longings to him. Believe me when I tell you—he will help you!

Mark and I have a line we often say when we are praying, “Jesus, I don’t know how You’re going to do it, but I know You’re going to do it. Thank You.”

Jeremiah 33:3, The Message – “Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.”

John 14:13-14  – [Jesus said – ] “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

John 15:7, NASB – [Jesus said – ] “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

John 16:23-24 – [Jesus said – ] “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

Matthew 21:21-22 – [Jesus said – ] “If you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” [Like Jesus we can say, “Father, I thank You that You hear me. I know that You always hear me” even before we see the miracle.]

Ephesians 3:20-21 – Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask [that’s our words] or imagine, [that’s the picture] according to his power [the power of His love] that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Finally, I want to pray for our families. I want to pray especially for those parents here and listening who have children who are sick, in trouble, or lost.

Lamentations 2:19, NIV – …pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children…

Isaiah 65:23-24, NLT – “They [Parents – you] will not work in vain, and their [your] children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they [you] are people blessed by the Lord, and their [your] children, too, will be blessed. 24 I will answer them [you] before they [you] even call to me. While they [you] are still talking about their [your] needs, I will go ahead and answer their [your] prayers!”

Psalm 146:6-8, NLT – He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. 7 He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. 8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.

Psalm 55:22, The Message – “Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders— he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out.”

Psalm 55:22, TPT – So here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Leave all your cares and anxieties at the feet of the Lord, and measureless grace will strengthen you.

God says –

Psalm 81:6-7, NLT – “Now I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks. 7 You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you…”

Psalm 145:13-14, NLT – The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does. 14 The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.

Lord, today (as every day) we cast our cares on You. We commit our families to You. We wait patiently for Your help. We lift up our hands for the lives of our children. There is no risk of failure with You.  Jesus, You are our Hero and the Savior of our family. We will never be shaken beyond Your ability to hold us. Your measureless grace strengthens us. You always take the load from our shoulders. Every day you free our hands from the needs of our children so we can do what we need to do each day without heaviness. We seek You, and You answer. You deliver us from all of our fears. You hear our cries and deliver us from all our troubles. We lean on You and trust You with our lives and the lives of every member of our families. “The justice of our cause will shine like the noonday sun.” In Jesus’s name, AMEN!

Psalm 40:1-3, NLT – I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. 3 He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.

There are testimonies coming for those who waited and never gave up!

Copyright info: All scriptures in the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

• (NKJV) New King James Version. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
• (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
• (NLT) Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
• (NASB) Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)