Father,
You are so very good
to us. You have given us all things to enjoy. So, we have food and drink to
feast with, computers to use for work and play, books to read, hobbies to
pursue and so much more. And that's all on top of the things You give us just
to stay alive.
Father, these are
great gifts. And that You have given them to us says much about You. You really
are a good Father who loves to give good gifts to His children, to us. And
these things we now enjoy aren't yet the best of what You have to offer.
But sadly, Father,
we are still afflicted by our sins. So, there are times when we don't recognize
that what we enjoy is from You. And there are those times we complain when we
don't have what we see others have. All too often we respond to life and to Your
gifts so very poorly. Father, we regret that we act in these sorts of ways. And
we do ask that You would forgive us and change us.
Father, teach us how
to enjoy these gifts of Yours so that we can enjoy them to the full. Don't let
us settle for just a little enjoyment of these things. Teach us to enjoy them
as much as possible. We ask for this because it is as we enjoy Your gifts that
we get to enjoy You, the giver of all these gifts. And it is when we are
enjoying You that living for You makes so much sense.
We also ask, Father,
that You would lift our eyes as we do enjoy these things. As good as Your gifts
are now, they will be better, and better enjoyed in the age to come. And that
also means that we will enjoy You better in the age to come. So, grant that we
will be able to see something of our future joys as we experience Your goodness
in the here and now.
We know that as You
grant these our requests, our understanding of You will grow. We will see You
more clearly. We will see more of the beauty of Your generous heart. Seeing
that will bind our hearts more closely to Yours. And that will itself be
something so very beautiful. Thank You, Father. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.