A Prayer of Thanks for God’s Work Across Generations - Your Daily Prayer - November 1

A Prayer of Thanks for God’s Work Across Generations
By Whitney Hopler 

Bible Reading
“One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty – and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works – and I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” – Psalm 145:4-7, NIV.

Listen or Read Below

Family gatherings are wonderful places to hear stories. When all generations come together, it’s especially valuable to share stories of how God is working in everyone’s lives, because our families can point us toward God’s wisdom. Seniors can share lessons they’ve learned, younger adults can share how God has answered their prayers, and children can share experiences that helped them feel God’s love. Everyone can find inspiration in the process.

Psalm 145:4-7 describes how God’s work continues throughout history, especially as families share stories of what God is doing in their lives. It says that one generation tells another of God’s “mighty acts”, “glorious splendor”, “majesty”, and “wonderful works.” God’s wonder travels through time! The wonderful work God does is so profound that it takes every generation working together to tell the story.

God is just as present in your life today as he was in the lives of the people in the Bible. When conversing with elders, you can see how God provided for their needs through the years and helped them overcome significant challenges. When you look at the generation coming after you, you can see God’s goodness breaking through in new ways. God’s wonderful faithfulness is like a thread that weaves all our different stories into one masterpiece.

Psalm 145 highlights how you’re meant to be amazed by God’s work – in your own life, and in the lives of your family members. You can discover God’s amazing work in countless ways when you look carefully at the ways God has been working in your family. You may notice how God has helped someone in your family break a long cycle of unhealthy behavior, like addiction, and made a way for healing and restoration to happen. You may learn how God helped some family members forgive and reconcile with one another. If you ask questions and listen well, you can discover all sorts of powerful inspirational stories from your family – from a grandparent’s story of a prayer answered after many years but in perfect timing, to a teenager’s story of God meeting him or her with exactly the encouragement needed in a crisis. God is big enough to rule the universe yet close enough to care about the details of your life, and the lives of all your family and friends.

This Thanksgiving and holiday season, you have valuable opportunities to participate in family storytelling. When you share a story of how God came through for you, you can build bridges for other people in your family to walk across and find hope from God. When you listen to other family members’ stories of how God came through for them, you can be inspired with awe. God does so many wonderful works, so often, that you and your family need to celebrate them all together!

Let’s Pray

Dear God, I’m in awe of how big your story really is, across generations and throughout history. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own little corner of the world that I forget you’ve been faithful for many years before I was born, and you’ll be faithful for many years after my earthly life is over. Thank you for the wonderful ways you never stop showing up in our lives to guide us, encourage us, meet our needs, and so much more. Help me to discover your wonderful work every day – in my own life, and in the lives of my family members. I’m so grateful for the people who came before me, like my parents, grandparents, and mentors, who told me about your goodness so I could find my way to a relationship with you. Help me to be a faithful storyteller too. Give me the words to share your mighty acts, glorious splendor, majesty, and wonderful works with the people in my life. Let them see through my stories that you are just as powerful and loving today as you’ve always been. Thank you for the way you weave our lives together throughout time into a masterpiece that you’re writing for all time. I love how you continue to work across generations. Thank you, God. Amen.

Discuss today’s devotional with others in the Your Daily Prayer thread on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/andreswd

Whitney Hopler helps people discover God's wonder and experience awe. She is the author of several books, including the nonfiction books Wake Up to Wonder and Wonder Through the Year: A Daily Devotional for Every Year, and the young adult novel Dream Factory. Whitney has served as an editor at leading media organizations, including Crosswalk.com, The Salvation Army USA’s national publications, and Dotdash.com (where she produced a popular channel on angels and miracles). She currently leads the communications work at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Connect with Whitney on her website at www.whitneyhopler.com and on her Facebook author page.

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