Our family has been riding the emotional roller coaster of unemployment and job hunting. The morning I read the Nehemiah passage above, we had been particularly discouraged. My husband and I typically began our day by praying as we walked around our neighbourhood.But that morning we did something different.

Instead of praying for our needs, we decided to join our voices in a ‘thanksgiving choir’ – much like the choirs that Nehemiah set up. We made no requests, no intercessions, just overflowed with thankfulness. Like a ping-pong game, we batted blessings back and forth.

‘Thank you, Lord, for fresh starts and new mercies.’ ‘Thank you for family.’ ‘Thank you for a safe neighbourhood.’ ‘Thank you for meeting our needs.’ ‘Thank you for hope.’ And on and on it went. We walked for almost an hour and never ran out of blessings for which we were thankful. What began as a  discouraging day became a joyful day, simply because we obeyed God’s command to give thanks in every situation.

 

Prayer: Source of all blessings, thank you for filling our lives with good things, even during difficult times. Help us always to be grateful. Amen