This is day 13 of our 27-day gratitude and prayer guide in preparation for Thanksgiving. You can download the entire guide here.
Day 1: Read — James 1:17
Prepare for your reading:
Ask God to shine light on His word for us: “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, I want to see you.”
Read James 1:17
Try reading from two or more versions and see if any give you a different insight on the passage.
Write these verses down on a sheet of paper or in a journal. Perhaps try to memorize them or place them somewhere visible through the day
Scripture interprets scripture
In the place where you wrote down the passage, write your thoughts about the following questions:
How does Ephesians 2:8 support your understanding of James 1:17?
How does 1 Peter 4:10 shine light on James 1:17?
In what way does Psalm 24:1 help better understand this passage?
Prayer of Adoration
Preparation for prayer
What do you see in the scriptures you’ve read today that leads you to praise God? Write your answer down.
Offer a prayer of praise to God
Spend some time praising God for the things you wrote down and for what you see in James 1:17 and the other scriptures we looked at. You can use the following as a prompt.
Father, as David proclaimed, the earth is yours and everything in it. You made the world on the seas and established it on the waters. You, oh Lord, are the King of glory. You are the Lord, mighty in your creation and mighty in victory. I lft my hands up to you in praise for the gifts that you provide.
You stand in eternity, unchanging and steady. And yet while I am so insignificant against your glory, you saw fit to offer your gifts to me. You gave me the gift of salvation when I did not deserve it. You gave me gifts to use for your glory. You chose to give me birth through the word of truth and gave me a special
place through your grace.Everything I have comes from you, and it belongs to you. I am humbled that you choose to entrust me
with them. More than anything, thank you for the gift of life through your son, in whose name I offer my
praise today. Amen.