Thanksgiving Prayer 2023

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. 2 Corinthians 9:15

As I thought about this year’s Thanksgiving prayer, I noticed that the Apostle Paul rarely runs out of words to express the power and scope of his delight for all that God did for his people through Christ. But at the close of his celebration of being able to participate in ministry to other members of the body of Christ, he does. He has no words to describe the privilege God has provided us to participate in the distribution of his grace. It is indeed an indescribable gift; and it’s just one of many. So here’s a prayer to help us say thanks.

O Lord, words fail. Your all-sufficient grace,
Abundantly supplied to meet our needs,
Enables us to joyfully embrace
Your glorious goal of doing righteous deeds:
For gracious service to the saints we meet
You fill our lives with love and sustenance
So that our righteousness will be complete
And our good deeds your majesty enhance.
So we give thanks to you for victory,
For causing us to triumph over sin,
For joyful hearts that willingly obey.
The fear of loss is but a memory;
Its sting is gone; it can’t hurt us again.
Transcendent grace! We thank you ev’ry day.

Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ and everywhere manifests through us the fragrant knowledge of him. 2 Corinthians 2:14
Thanks be to God that, though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed from the heart the pattern of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness. Romans 6:17–18
Thanks be to God that, though sin gives death its sting and the law empowers sin, nevertheless he gives us the victory over death through our Lord, Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:56–57