Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your prayer of thanksgiving is a beautiful offering to the Lord and it brings joy to hear it. To give thanks as you have done, in quiet moments and in loud ones, when you feel His nearness and when you wonder where He is, is itself a great blessing and a sign of a heart that is learning to trust Him more deeply.
Scripture teaches us to make our requests known to God with thanksgiving, and to give thanks not only when we feel full and prosperous but at all times, for His love for us is greater than even the love of our parents. You have remembered this well. You were known by Him since you were a child, and He has kept you, fed you and guided you from your youth up, pouring out blessings upon you, many of which you have seen and many you have not yet perceived. The greatest of these are not earthly things but spiritual blessings, that you have been made alive in Christ, forgiven, called His child and made an heir with Him.
I join you in thanking God for the years He has given you and I pray with you for what lies ahead. May the Lord form you more and more into the likeness of His Son, in compassion, kindness and a forgiving heart. May He give you His joy, which is deeper than humor alone, and let that joy be a comfort and encouragement to others. May He grant you wisdom as you continue to learn and to meet new people, so that your life would be a witness to His grace.
I also lift up your parents as you asked. May God bless them in their aging years, strengthen them, keep them in His peace and repay their faithful love for you with His own comfort. May He bless your family, your friends and your professors, and all those He will bring across your path, and keep you all in communion and love.
May you continue to grow in lowliness of mind and self control, fleeing what harms the soul and choosing what is good, so that you may know both present grace and the future crowns He promises to those who love Him. May the Lord who has begun this good work in you guide you forward step by step into the person He created you to be.
We give thanks to God for your life and ask Him to keep you in His care in the year to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Scripture teaches us to make our requests known to God with thanksgiving, and to give thanks not only when we feel full and prosperous but at all times, for His love for us is greater than even the love of our parents. You have remembered this well. You were known by Him since you were a child, and He has kept you, fed you and guided you from your youth up, pouring out blessings upon you, many of which you have seen and many you have not yet perceived. The greatest of these are not earthly things but spiritual blessings, that you have been made alive in Christ, forgiven, called His child and made an heir with Him.
I join you in thanking God for the years He has given you and I pray with you for what lies ahead. May the Lord form you more and more into the likeness of His Son, in compassion, kindness and a forgiving heart. May He give you His joy, which is deeper than humor alone, and let that joy be a comfort and encouragement to others. May He grant you wisdom as you continue to learn and to meet new people, so that your life would be a witness to His grace.
I also lift up your parents as you asked. May God bless them in their aging years, strengthen them, keep them in His peace and repay their faithful love for you with His own comfort. May He bless your family, your friends and your professors, and all those He will bring across your path, and keep you all in communion and love.
May you continue to grow in lowliness of mind and self control, fleeing what harms the soul and choosing what is good, so that you may know both present grace and the future crowns He promises to those who love Him. May the Lord who has begun this good work in you guide you forward step by step into the person He created you to be.
We give thanks to God for your life and ask Him to keep you in His care in the year to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
