May I see your gifts and delight in them

Dearest loving Father in Heaven, , thank You for the dreams and desires You have placed in my heart. Today I set aside worries and distractions. I lift my eyes to You. Enlarge my vision and help me to see the dream You have for my life. Lord,  today I choose to get rid of old wineskins. I choose to release old thinking, old habits, and anything that would keep me from Your best. Strengthen me by Your Spirit so that I can live my life in a way that pleases You.

Lord, I want many things. I have asked You to make me happy, but I need to take some responsibility for my own happiness. Lord, I’m sorry that I often ask You to deal with things that I should deal with myself. I am lazy, and sometimes I refuse to face everyday life. Help me get over my selfishness. Dear Lord, as I pay attention to the encouragement to do everything in your name, giving thanks to you, I realize how easily I fall short of this goal. I so often take your gifts for granted, or I can focus on what is wrong, filling my heart with worry rather than thanksgiving. Forgive me, Lord, for my ungrateful heart and my thankless living. Help me, I pray, to be thankful to you in all that I do and say. May thanksgiving become a true habit of mind, heart, and action. May I learn to acknowledge you with expressed thanks, both to you and in the presence of others. May I see your gifts and delight in them. Thank you, Father, for the opportunity to live thankfully. Thank you for your Word that instructs and challenges me to do it.

Help us, Lord, to get in touch with our yearning for your kingdom. Revive in us a hope that will not disappoint. May this season be a time for us to turn toward you, even as we prepare our hearts for your coming. Grant me the encouragement I need to make the right decisions. Thank you for your grace and for your Spirit who help me to live with gratitude each day. All praise and thanks be to you, gracious, loving, giving God. Amen.