Workday Prayers: Thanksgiving in October
Scripture Reading: Psalm 75:1 (NRSV)
We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks; your name is near.
People tell of your wondrous deeds.
Prelude
Harvard autumn leaves. Photo copyright of Mark Roberts.
Today is the first day of October. In many part of the country, fall is in the air, the leaves have begun to change, and the stores are chock full of Halloween candy. I’ve always been fond of this season, especially when I lived on the East Coast with its vibrant autumn leaves. (I took today’s photo when visiting Harvard Yard a couple of years ago. Such an amazing collection of leaves! I didn’t arrange them, by the way. That’s how they fell.)
By my calculations we’re still 55 days away from Thanksgiving. But the opening verse of Psalm 75 invites us to offer thanks to God, even on the first day of October. I expect we’ll return to this theme in 8 weeks. The truth is, no matter the date or the season, it is always appropriate to thank the Lord for his many blessings.
Focus
Because of all the wondrous things God does, God deserves our thanks. When we offer gratitude to God, we don’t have to shout across the heavens, however. God is near. God knows our hearts. God hears our prayers, even our silent ones. God’s closeness to us is, in fact, something for which we ought to give thanks. God is with us, always!
Prayer
We give thanks to you, O God. We give thanks!
How good it is to give thanks to you, to remember your gracious gifts in our lives, to acknowledge all you have done for us.
How good it is, Lord, to thank you for your presence in our lives. Indeed, you are right here with us. We don’t have to scour the heavens to find you. We don’t have to shout to get your attention. You are very near, right now. How wonderful! Thank you.
We thank you, God, for your wondrous deeds. Were we to list out all you have done for us, that would be a very long list, indeed. For all of your goodness to us, thank you.
Today, O God, we especially want to thank you for the blessings associated with our work. Thank you for creating us to join you in your work in this world. Thank you for making us with the ability and desire to be fruitful. Thank you for all that our work can provide: income to support life, a way to serve others, meaning through our labors, and the chance to worship you through our work.
Our work situations aren’t perfect, Lord. There are days when we cry out to you for mercy and deliverance. But today, we focus on what you give us through our work.
We give thanks to you, O God. We give thanks!
Ponder Throughout the Day
God is very near to you today!
For Further Reflection
You may wish to read all of Psalm 75:1-10.
Psalm 107 invites to consider in detail ways God has provided for us. Use this psalm to inspire your own detailed prayers of gratitude.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the High Calling archive, hosted by the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Best of Daily Reflections: How Can I Live Well When Life Feels Like An Earthquake?
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Mark D. Roberts
Senior Strategist
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders,...