Be Men of Prayer and Thanksgiving

This week is Thanksgiving. On this day, Americans have traditionally celebrated the things for which they are thankful. Nowadays, most people simply say they are thankful or express a vague sense of thankfulness without actually knowing to whom they are thankful. Being thankful requires someone or something to whom you direct your thanks. As Christians though, the object of your thankfulness is God.

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” As men, husbands, fathers, leaders in the church, and leaders in the community, you have a responsibility to guide the people whom you serve. One way to do this is to direct them in prayer and thanksgiving.

In Psalm 100, the psalmist instructs Israel to give thanks to the Lord because He is good, because His steadfast love endures forever, and because His faithfulness endures to all generations. When you give thanks, there ought to be concrete things for which you are thankful.

Being thankful does not always come naturally. I will be honest and say that this is an area where I struggle. But God is gracious and patient with His people and for that, I am exceedingly thankful. Something I have found helpful is to spend time thinking about the things for which I should be thankful. After I do that, I pray and directly thank God for those things. Over the years, this has helped me become more thankful to God in my life.

Here are a few things for which you can thank God this week:

1. Give thanks to God for your family and friends

Proverbs 17:17 tells us “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” God has brought your family and friends into your life for a multitude of reasons. One of these reasons is so they can bless you and another is so you can bless them. Thank God that you do not live life on this earth alone and that He has brought people around you to love you, support you, and pray with you.

This week is a fantastic opportunity for you to express your thanks to your family and friends. Call up that friend who is always there for you and tell him that you are thankful to God for him. Call up your parents and tell them you are thankful for everything they have done for you. You can be a great encouragement to those around you when you do this.

2. Give thanks to God for your church and your pastor

Your church is a blessing to you and your family. God has established local churches as frontier outposts in His Kingdom and you are a member of that. God has brought you into this congregation of believers for your edification, for your sanctification, and to glorify Himself. God has called your pastor to lead and minister to your church. Your pastor spends countless hours reading, studying, praying, writing, and laboring over Scripture passages in preparation to enter the pulpit and preach on the Lord’s Day. Thank God for men who are called to these labors.

This week, tell a brother or sister in your church how thankful you are for them. Call your pastor or send him a note and tell him that you are thankful for his calling, his ministry, and his hard work.

There are also certain times in particular when you should give God thanks. Here are a few ways in which you can lead as men in this area:

1. Give thanks to God in the midst of hardship

As Christians, you are told to be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). You will experience difficult times in your life; times of hardship and trial. But God calls you to be thankful during these situations because God is providentially in control of those situations. Romans 8:28 tells us that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” 

Even when you experience things like the loss of a job, the loss of a family member or friend, difficulty in your marriage, difficulty in parenting, discouragement in ministry or at work, remember that God is leading you through those situations for a reason. That reason is for His glory and for your sanctification. God loves you so much that He brings you through hardship not to punish you, but to sanctify you. God loves you so much that He does not bring you through needless suffering, but through needful suffering. Therefore, thank God in all circumstances.

2. Give thanks to God alongside your family

As husbands and fathers, you are called to lead your families not only physically, but spiritually (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15). One way in which you can do this is to lead your family in prayer and thanksgiving and family worship is a great opportunity to do this. When you lead your wife and children in family worship, use part of the time to gather prayer requests and then pray. Pray for the needs of people in your church, family, and neighborhood. Give thanks to God for the various blessings in your life or in the lives of the people around you.

Brothers, as leaders in the home, church, and community, you bear the responsibility to lead. Leading is not only about making decisions and teaching or instructing; it is also about pointing your people to God. One way to do this is to lead your people in seasons of prayer and thanksgiving. If you have not been praying and thanking God for things in your life, then I would like to encourage you to use this Thanksgiving Day to begin.

Jared Dean serves as Assistant Pastor of Liberty Presbyterian Church in Owings Mills, MD, as a police officer and chaplain at a county police department in Maryland, and as an editor of Reforming Men.