Vineyard Evensong Part 15
The next element for discussion in our Vineyard Evensong Liturgy is a prayer of thanksgiving known as ” A General Thanksgiving.” This prayer has been attributed to Edward Reynolds (1599-1676), the Bishop of Norwich. It was first included in the liturgy with the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we Your unworthy servants give You humble and hearty thanks for all Your goodness and loving kindness to us, and to all people. We bless You for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for Your boundless love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and the hope of glory. Give us, we pray, such a sense of all Your mercies that with truly thankful hearts we may declare Your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to Your service, by walking before You in holiness and righteousness all our days, and in living by trying to do the next right thing; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with You and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, for ever and ever. AMEN.
This prayer is a great reminder of how important it is for us to be thankful. Thankful people are happier people. Ungrateful people are unhappier people. They are focused on and consumed by what they don’t have. Thankful people are focused on what they do have. And there is always something to be thankful for, no matter what is happening in our lives.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
His will is for us to be thankful in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. There is a big difference. When life is hard, in the midst of difficult circumstances, we stay thankful by remembering that God loves us and is for us and that we can trust Him. We are not thankful for the situation, we are thankful that God is ultimately bigger than the situation.
Here is a prayer of thanksgiving from King David:
1 Chronicles 29:10-13 (NIV)
10 David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
Remember to start out everyday by being thankful for five things.
