Luke 9:16 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, thanked God for them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people.
Pocket prayers are like arrows that are sent to open heaven’s doors. There were over 20,000 to 30,000 hungry people earnestly looking at Jesus for food. All that Jesus had in His hands were five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus did not pray a long intense prayer to make manna rain down from heaven. He just said grace over the meal that would not have even satisfied one adult in the crowd. Jesus ‘thanked God’. What did He thank God for? For the insufficiency and the paucity? Jesus taught us a very vivid principle of prayer. Thanksgiving is the heavenly code to multiply few into many. Thanksgiving is the divine crypto-currency that is used to complete transactions in heaven. Thanksgiving transfers the onus on God and His resources. Thanksgiving even in the midst of a scarcity taps into the resources of heaven.
The English missionary George Müller who cared for 120,000 orphan children, trusted God for their daily provision. One morning the children were ready for school but the plates, cups and bowls were empty. George lifted up his hands and prayed, “Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat.” At that very moment a baker knocked the door with fresh bread. Then there was another knock from the milk man whose milk cart broke down at the door of the orphanage. God woke up the baker at 2 am in the morning to bake fresh bread for the children and allowed the milk cart to stop right in front of the orphanage. “Thanksgiving” is a powerful pocket prayer.
Powerful pocket prayers:
1. Insufficiency: A powerful prayer to pray when plates are empty is the prayer of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving turns the financial or any economic insufficiency into abundance. Jesus’ disciples picked up twelve large baskets of leftover bread and fish (Mark 6:23). The thanksgiving grace offered by Jesus turned the lack into leftovers. Thanksgiving prayer for George Müller filled the empty plates and cups with freshly baked bread and milk.
2. Inadequacy: Thanksgiving is a pertinent prayer to pray when we feel inadequate, less talented or unqualified for a task or assignment. Thanksgiving shifts the trust from our talents to God’s ability. If the Lord God gives us an opportunity, He will give us the ability.
3. Inert: The crowd was listening to Jesus all day and it was late afternoon. They did not come prepared for an all day conference. They did not carry food baskets and tents to rest. The crowd would have been tired and hungry. Jesus energized the inert crowd with His thanksgiving prayer. When we feel inert/motionless because of stress or pressure, remember to give thanks. Thanksgiving is the stress reliever that turns pressure into potential.
Thanksgiving is a powerful pocket prayer.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, you are the provider of everything. May thanksgiving and praise never leave my lips. Amen
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