“I am so thankful that I have a joy that the world can not rob me of; I have a treasure that the world can not take from me; I have something that it is not in the power of man or devil to deprive me of, and that is the joy of the Lord.” – D.L. Moody

As the body of Christ endures our current moment of trouble, it seems an appropriate time to remember that “man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:3). The Israelites spent 40 hard years in the wilderness depending on God for all the necessities of life to learn that walking in obedience with God matters. It is not that food, shelter, clothing, or health are trivial matters. They aren’t. God does not teach Israel to detach from the physical world or to view the creation He has made as evil. Rather, God reminds Israel that trusting in God’s wisdom is the means by which those who walk with God navigate the challenges of the physical world.

Even after forty years in the wilderness, God recognizes the human tendency to focus on the gift and to forget the Giver (Deut 8:11-20). Several years ago, I wrote the following prayer to help remind me that, as D.L. Moody said, “I am so thankful that I have a joy that the world can not rob me of…a treasure that the world cannot take from me…” No matter what we face, we have God with us. Unlike those around us, we have His peace, which is beyond our understanding; His hope, which is not grounded in health or prosperity; and His joy, which is not fleeting but endures as we come to know God more deeply. Let’s pray that even in the midst of the challenging times in which we find ourselves that we will find it in ourselves to have hearts of gratitude.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving: Grateful for the Giver

Lord, as I participate in the all-too-consuming activities that require my attention today, I pray that I would not lose sight of You.

Give me this day a heart of gratitude.

Give me a heart of gratitude which looks beyond my appreciation

for things,

for comfort,

for peace,

for prosperity.

Give me a heart of gratitude which is ever and always

thankful for the Giver

thankful for the One who has provided

thankful for the One who, unlike His gifts, will never fade away.

Give me a heart of gratitude which refuses

to surrender to frivolous complaint,

to seek more than you have given,

to succumb to the annoyances and frustrations of this world.

Give me a heart of gratitude which is so filled with thanksgiving that worry and concern have no room.

Give me a heart of gratitude which remembers you as the present Giver who is my refuge and my portion.

Give me a heart of gratitude which cries out thanksgiving and praise even in the midst of anguish, pain, and frustration.

Give me a heart of gratitude which is capable of love, hope, and peace despite the tensions, hurts, and foolishness of this world.

Give me a heart of gratitude which is ever and always Yours. Amen.

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Moody Center

Featured Image by Deborah Hudson from Pixabay

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About the Author

For more than a decade, James served in academic leadership within biblical higher education. He currently serves as President of the D. L. Moody Center, an independent non-profit organization in Northfield, MA, dedicated to honoring the spiritual legacy of D.L. Moody. James serves on faculty at Right On Mission and as a consultant for Christian colleges and seminaries in the areas of leadership development, online programming, and enrollment management. He also teaches as an adjunct instructor at the collegiate and graduate level in the areas of biblical studies, interpretation, and Christian thought. James graduated with his B.S in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2000 before earning his Master of Divinity from Moody Theological Seminary (2004), his M. A. in Biblical Exegesis from Wheaton College Graduate School (2005), and his PhD in Theological Studies-Old Testament from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (2012). He later attended the Harvard Institute of Education Management and completed a year of executive coaching. James researches and writes in the areas of theology and Old Testament Studies. Useful to God: Eight Lessons from the Life of D. L. Moody was published in 2021. He also published Thinking Christian: Essays on Testimony, Accountability, and the Christian Mind in 2020 and co-authored Trajectories: A Gospel-Centered Introduction to Old Testament Theology in 2018. James also co-authored "Isaiah" with Michael Rydelnik in the Moody Bible Commentary and contributed to Marriage: It's Foundation, Theology, and Mission in a Changing World, and The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy.In addition to writing on theology and Old Testament studies, James has also published and presented in the areas of online curriculum design, higher education policy, organizational strategies for higher education recruitment, and Christian leadership. James and his family live in the Chicagoland area. He is available to speak in the areas of Christian leadership, Christian theology and contemporary issues, Christian identity in the digital age, biblical higher education and college choice, and Old Testament theology. .

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