It started as a whim. A scribbled note in the back of our prayer journal.
The heading at the top of the page was written in green ink:
‘Thank you, Lord, for all your good gifts...’
The first entry was a bag of washable nappies passed on by a former work colleague. From there, the list grew. Every couple of days we would pray together and record our blessings.
Most of the items were small. The wood for the fire was a gift from our next-door neighbour. A pack of butter was left over from a shared meal. A foot pump I borrowed to inflate a car tyre was gifted when I went to return it.
A few items were more significant including tickets for a leadership conference, the local garage not charging us for wheel balancing and an old friend passing on their winter fuel allowance.
Some were downright extravagant such as several large cheques from people I hadn’t expected and rent-free accommodation for two full years.
It was my first year of living by faith after stepping out into a new ministry and new location. Initially, it felt precarious. What began with a nervous checking of bank balances evolved into a joyful exercise of thanksgiving.
As time passed, I found myself spending more time re-reading the pages of thankfulness at the back of the journal than looking at the prayers at the front. If we had not been recording them, many of the gifts would have been forgotten.
We were never ungrateful and everyone was thanked whether they had given money or a packet of spaghetti. But the length of the list directed our gratitude towards God and celebrated the ongoing miracle of his daily provision for our needs through the generosity of people around us.
I learned much about the heart of God the Father from that list, from the people who delivered a meal through to the gifts that paid for airline flights. We would not have been able to accomplish the ministry we were called to if it had not been for the ongoing, faithful, practical support of so many.
If you are ever in doubt of God’s love for you, why not give it a go yourself?
Write down every small blessing, day by day and watch the list grow. Or maybe, if you find yourself flush, pop round to someone’s house with a bag of bananas or a new pair of slippers.
Ian Coleman
Director, The Discover Network
Reflect
‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.’
1 Peter 4:10-11
Pray
- Pray for creative ways to share kindness and hope.
- Ask God to show you how to use your gifts to serve others.
- Thank Him for giving each person unique talents that can bless the world.
Act
A generosity challenge for you to complete today:
| Bake, build, draw, sew or design – create something and give it away. Don’t worry about perfection. Generosity comes alive when you share your creativity. |
About The Discover Network
The Discover Network helps people engage deeply with the Bible and grow as disciples through Discovery Bible Studies, mentoring and creative resources.
Working in more than 200 nations, they focus on reaching the least-reached until disciples are found in every nation.
