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A Prayer About Thankfulness for Gospelicious Friends

     I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:3-6

      Heavenly Father, it’s Thanksgiving Day, and of all the things I’m grateful for, I’m particularly thankful today for the women and men you’ve used over the years to bring me into a greater understanding and experience of the life-giving song of the gospel.

     I praise you for friends who’ve helped me understand the lyric—the theology of the gospel. As a young convert my arrogant mantra was, “Don’t give me theology just give me Jesus.” My sentiments were sincere, but my sensibilities were shoddy. To speak the name Jesus is to do theology. Thank you for patient teachers who’ve open the Scriptures and have shown me the real Jesus—the one who lived and died in my place… the one who’s redeeming a pan-national Bride and making all things new.

     I praise you for friends who help me hear and experience the music of the gospel. Those broken and beautiful saints who introduced me to the radical goodness of your grace… it’s life giving liberty… it’s healing melody… it’s soul engaging joy. I’ve come to know you as the God who greatly delights in your people… who quiets us with his love… who rejoices over us with nuptial singing. This is astonishing… it’s shocking… and it’s all because of what Jesus has done for us.

     I praise you for friends who model the missional dance of the gospel. Once you get wild prodigals and stuffy elder-brothers onto the dance-floor of grace, you take the dance outside the house into our neighborhoods and among the nations. It’s thrilling discover the whole world as the theatre for your redeeming love. Thank you for my dance instructors.

     But, Lord Jesus, on this Thanksgiving morning, we’re most of all thankful for you, for you are the gospel. It’s your love for us that’s better than life and bigger than we realize. You crushed the head of the serpent for us and soon you’ll crush him under our feet (Romans 16:20). Come quick! Your Bride increasingly longs for your return. The future with you is our centering joy and empowering hope. So very Amen, we pray in your glorious and grace-filled name.

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