Grabbing His Robe

It's time to be thankful!

I have been trying to instill in my daughters that they need to be thankful for at least one thing each and every day and to start out their bedtime prayers by giving thanks to God for that one thing. My little one is especially tuned in to this. We were just discussing different things we can find to be thankful for. I feel this is a very important discipline for children to get into. Especially children who do not lack in the area of material goods.

But...sometimes, when we are surrounded by sadness, destruction, or the consequences of sinful behavior, it can be hard to find something to be thankful for. Here is what the Lord showed me over lunch at the Olive Garden:

Today....I am most thankful for the power of friendships that are united in Jesus.
And for the power of prayer.
I got out of the classroom at 11 a.m. today as today was one of my "short days".
I met a very good friend of mine for lunch. We had had a lunch date scheduled for Dec. to celebrate both of our December birthdays but due to one thing or another, we had to cancel. Today, we could finally get together! We enjoyed a nice lunch at Olive Garden. And I learned a little something about being thankful in all situations and how prayer is tied into our daily lives.

The Lord showed me that we need to turn to Him for prayer in all situations. She is a rather "new" friend of mine. We met 3 years ago while taking the same Grace Fellowship Membership class at church. She and her husband Mike adopted a little girl from China who is now good friends with my 10 year old daughter. M. and Claire have been in HizKidz Praise! ministry together as well as Sunday School. We get the girls together for playdates/sleepovers/a movie, etc. M. is a very nice little girl and my daughter loves her!
Well, Lynn (my friend) and I hit it off right away. We both have similar backgrounds when it comes to trials. We both have husbands who work lots of hours. And we have our 10 year old daughters in common. Lynn also has a step daughter who is very troubled. I cannot go into the different aspects but.....this family needs prayer. It can be hard to know just how and what to pray.
BUT....

It is a privelage to pray for each other.
It is a privelage to lift her and her husband up in prayer.
I thank God that He hears every moan; He sees every tear that is falling.
I listened to my friend and the horrid things she has had to face in the last month.
I thank God for His protection and mercy. I thank God for His Spirit who moves through to calm our fears and worries. I reminded Lynn to look up and focus on Him. She is. She is very strong in this trial. She feels that He is walking just ahead of her and she is grabbing onto his robe and holding on tight.
I thank God for this family.
I thank God for the unity He has brought to us through His Son Jesus.
I thank God that He is going to get the glory for what He is choosing to do in this situation.
And I thank the Lord I was able to be a listening ear for my dear friend.
I most especially thank Him that Lynn is grabbing on to His robe and not letting go.

Be thankful? Even when surrounded by a very difficult situation?
YES....be thankful in all things. God will use this to do something according to His purposes. We may not know yet what that purpose is. But we can thank Him ahead of time.
And keep grabbing ahold of His robe!