Thursday, November 13, 2008

Thanksgiving Thursdays



I have been reading this talk the last few days:




In it, he challenges us to pray with greater thanksgiving:



As we strive to make our prayers more meaningful, we should remember that “in
nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those
who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments” (D&C 59:21). Let me recommend that periodically you and I
offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude. Ask for
nothing; simply let our souls rejoice and strive to communicate appreciation
with all the energy of our hearts.


I am going to start having "Thanksgiving Thursdays"- where- on Thursdays, I don't ask for anything, I just give thanks.


Well- you say, what if you REALLY need to ask for something? Sure- that could happen- but it would have to be big- check out his example:




During our service at Brigham Young University–Idaho, Sister Bednar and I
frequently hosted General Authorities in our home. Our family learned an
important lesson about meaningful prayer as we knelt to pray one evening with a
member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Earlier in the day Sister Bednar
and I had been informed about the unexpected death of a dear friend, and our
immediate desire was to pray for the surviving spouse and children. As I invited
my wife to offer the prayer, the member of the Twelve, unaware of the tragedy,
graciously suggested that in the prayer Sister Bednar express only appreciation
for blessings received and ask for nothing. His counsel was similar to Alma’s
instruction to the members of the ancient Church “to pray without ceasing, and
to give thanks in all things” (Mosiah
26:39
). Given the unexpected tragedy, requesting blessings for our friends
initially seemed to us more urgent than expressing thanks.
Sister Bednar
responded in faith to the direction she received. She thanked Heavenly Father
for meaningful and memorable experiences with this dear friend. She communicated
sincere gratitude for the Holy Ghost as the Comforter and for the gifts of the
Spirit that enable us to face adversity and to serve others. Most importantly,
she expressed appreciation for the plan of salvation, for the atoning sacrifice
of Jesus Christ, for His Resurrection, and for the ordinances and covenants of
the restored gospel which make it possible for families to be together
forever.
Our family learned from that experience a great lesson about the
power of thankfulness in meaningful prayer. Because of and through that prayer,
our family was blessed with inspiration about a number of issues that were
pressing upon our minds and stirring in our hearts. We learned that our
gratefulness for the plan of happiness and for the Savior’s mission of salvation
provided needed reassurance and strengthened our confidence that all would be
well with our dear friends. We also received insights concerning the things
about which we should pray and appropriately ask in faith.


So- is anyone with me?

2 comments:

marika said...

I think it is a great idea-why not? I can even start today!

Anonymous said...

I am definitely with you. I loved Elder Bednar's talk, and especially his invitation to pray only giving thanks occasionally. As with most things, I thought "What a great idea, I'll do that some time" and have yet to follow the council.

I like the idea of doing it every Thursday. Thanks for the thought and the idea.