A Thanksgiving Prayer
Bless the Lord, oh my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul and forget not all of his benefits: who forgives all my sins, who heals all my diseases, who redeems my life from destruction, and who satisfies my life with good things so that my youth is renewed like the Eagles. (Ps 103:1-5).
I have so much to be thankful for and am reminded of just how blessed I am at this special time of the year. I have a wonderful family, all of whom are healthy and growing in grace. The responsibilities given me to lead this family are many and requires my constant attention and devotion. There’s nothing more important than my devotion to Jesus Christ, God’s son, and to follow in His steps wherever they take me. My wife, Tina, has been such a strength to me and for that I’m grateful. My children were a gift from God. When the doctor told us we would never have children, God had a different plan. We knew a couple who had connections to a Christian adoption agency in CA so we called, put together a resume, and sent it to them. Without much hope of success, we did what we could and God did the rest.
Within a month, a young woman, who had been residing in that home, was praying for a suitable couple to raise her soon to be born soon, and her two requests were this: being short, herself, she desired at least one parent to be short in stature. Tina is around 5 ft, 2 in. Her second request involved her love for music and she wanted her son to be raised in a musical home. When she saw our resume, the spirit of God told her that we were to raise her son. On June 1, 1997, we flew to CA and were there for the birth of our son on June 4, and we named him, Luke. Three days later, the agency had a service for all of us. The birth mother, Brianna, officially said goodbye to her son and we took him with us back home.
Two years later, Tina got pregnant! That miracle brought us our second son whom we named Jesse, born February 19, 2000. He was a difficult delivery but he has been a blessing. On November 10, 2001, Tina delivered our third baby we named Leah. Our family was complete!
Ask for YOUR blessing and expect God to answer. At this Thanksgiving season, be thankful for what you have. God will honor your gratitude and will give you what you need. Be blessed!