THANKSGIVING DIARY To prepare for the World Weekend of Prayer, each day during May take a few minutes to count your blessings by meditating on scripture and answering three questions that will fuel your praise for God!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 WEEK 1 Be righteous Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. Proverbs 10: 6 What good thing has a member of your family, your community or your local government done recently? Think of anybody you know who has worked hard in recent months, despite evil around? If it was yours to give who might you award a special medal of honour in your circle of acquaintances? Refugee or displaced? [ Prosperity after turning to the Lord ] When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations. Deuteronomy 30: 1 Even though where you are living is not necessarily your choice, can you praise God? Has somebody shown you kindness in your new location or city? Praise God for them! Can you radiate the love of Jesus by praising Him amongst the new people who surround you? Bloom where you are planted May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham. Genesis 28: 4 God is not surprised that you are where you are: can you praise Him for the new opportunities to share Jesus he has given you? Can you throw away any disappointments about your current circumstances and still praise God? If this is where God has planted you, how can you grow in Christ for praise of his name? Church pastors The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart, he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the Lord, to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in his name forever. 1 Chronicles 23: 13 Can you think of a church, youth or Sunday School leader who has encouraged you? Can you praise God for all the unpaid workers of the local church who have tried to help you? Praise God for one kind word given by a church leader to you. Blessing of obedience The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. Deuteronomy 28: 8 Jesus commands us to love our enemies hard as that is. Can you praise God for giving you the heart of Christ to do so? Can you thank God for showing you where you have put other things (idols) before Him? What would your life look like if you loved God more and thanked Him for every breath you take? Christian visitors from overseas I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ. Romans 15: 29 Is there any Christian from overseas who is working in your midst who you might. Praise the Lord for? What does it take for somebody to learn your language to help you? Praise God for somebody s foreign language progress. Do you think a foreigner with you might miss their friends and family? Praise God that you can offer them your love. Jesus love is for all He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Galatians 3:14 Do you know Jesus, the Son of God? Thank God that all nations are invited to accept Jesus as their Saviour. Have you asked God to be filled with the Spirit? Thank Him. How strong is your faith? Praise God for the faith you have and ask Him for more.
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 WEEK 2 Spiritual blessings [ Praise for spiritual blessings in Christ ] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1: 3 Do you understand that Jesus died in your place to take the punishment for your wrong doings? Thank Him. Would you liked to have met Christ on Easter Sunday? Praise God that Jesus is alive. If you believe in Jesus did you know that your name is written in Heaven? Give thanks for this gift of grace. Thankful wealth The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it. Proverbs 10: 22 What kind of wealth are you craving after? Praise Jesus for the wealth of love that He offers even the lonely. If you do have to work at a young age to survive, thank God each day for the tasks ahead of you. Thank God that he can show you the honest way to earn money even whilst all around graft, bribery and corruption abound. Multiplying blessings Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. Deuteronomy 16: 10 How can you give an act of kindness to help somebody and share Christ s compassion, even if you have little? Even if someone doesn t know where their food for tomorrow will come from, can they share what they have today and praise God? Are you holding on to something that you could give to somebody else to bless them? Promise of Kingdom growth I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. Genesis 12: 2 Is your lack of praise for God even in the most difficult circumstances an impediment to the growth of His Kingdom? Do you hold dislike for some ethnic groups in your community? Praise God for the diversity of nations from which He is building his kingdom. Are you more proud to have been invited to be a member of God s kingdom than of your earthly nation? From generation to generation For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. Isaiah 44: 3 Can you give thanks for the generations that may come after you who will uphold the name of Jesus? Can you give God s name the honour for sustaining faith from your generation to the next? If God is sustaining his kingdom from generation to generation, what might your role be in passing on the good news of Jesus? Thank him for that role. Sharing what you have People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God s blessing on the one who is willing to sell. Proverbs 11: 26 Today, even though you might have very little, can you share what you have? Can you praise God for somebody who gave you something, even though you know they had very little for themselves. Do you know of a natural disaster in your region which has impaired food supplies? Praise God for the release of provisions from other areas. Promise of eternal life God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David. Acts 13: 34 Can you hold on to the promise of eternal life for all who know Jesus and bless God? Were some who you knew who have died recently strong in their faith in God? Praise Him. Does the prospect of eternal life spur you on to share the good news of Jesus with more and more people? Praise Him for this conviction.
15 16 17 WEEK 3 Siblings treated differently All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him. Genesis 49: 28 Do you hold a grudge against a brother or sister because they were treated differently (more generously) from you? Praise God that he treats us all as individuals. Ask God to help you overcome comparisons with others better off than you. Thank Him for progress in this. Do all people come to faith in Jesus in this same way? If God treats us as individuals how should we treat others? Turning back to God Afterwards the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days. Hosea 3: 5 Do you think that you have done such bad things that God will not accept you back? Praise Him that nobody is out of reach of God s forgiveness. When was the last time you confessed all the things you have done wrong to God? Praise Him that he is always available to listen. Do you think that God is still waiting for you to turn back to Him? Give thanks for His patience with you. Choosing God This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Deuteronomy 30: 19 What does it mean to choose life in Jesus? Praise Him for that opportunity. Jesus promises an abundant life for all who follow him. Given that this relates to many things beyond money, how might you target your thanks today? How can somebody with hardly any food, few clothes and no roof over their head choose life in Jesus and still feel blessed? 18 19 20 21 Delivered out of difficulty From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Psalm 3: 8 As we ask God for help to take us out of difficult circumstances, can we praise Him even before he has acted? Is God at work even when we are asleep? Thank Him for His tireless involvement in our life journey. Can we ever know all the circumstances that will impinge on our situation in the immediate future? Praise God that He knows best how and when to deliver us from our challenges. Worship leaders At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today. Deuteronomy 10: 8 Do you know any who lead you in singing praise to God? Thank Him for them. Have you heard anybody read the Bible well, clearly and in an understandable way? Thank God. Do you have the Bible in your own language? Praise God for those who worked hard and long to translate it. Jesus reigns and will return While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Luke 24: 51 Do you expect Jesus to return? Praise God for the promise of Him coming back. Are you living your life as if Jesus was returning today? Praise Him for the opportunity to change. Why is the promise of Jesus return so important? How can you hold with more strength to this promise and bless his name? Not trusting in idols The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Saviour. Psalm 24:4,5 Can you say that all your motives for what you do are born of a pure heart? Thank God for this challenge. Is your language pure from any wrong use of God s name or Jesus name? Thank Him for pointing out your failings. Are there any things that are becoming between you and your love for Jesus? Thank the Lord for his forgiveness and for the opportunity to start over.
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 WEEK 4 City-wide work Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed. Proverbs 11:11 Is your work together truly exalting the city? Can you look over the bad things in your city and focus on all the good things? Then praise God. Can you believe that some bad things occurring in your city are being broken down and erased? Yes, they are! God is at work, give Him the glory Disease overcome Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away disease from among you. Exodus 23: 25 Is somebody you know suffering illness in your connections? Praise God that He can and will heal them. Do you have enough food and water for the city if it was shared by all? Praise God for His provision. Can you look back in the past far enough to see that some diseases are no longer prevalent in your city. Praise the Lord. Unity It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life for evermore. Psalm 133:3 Can you have unity across the churches of your city in praising God for His love and kindness? Do you know some way that you could agree over something that in the past has been a disagreement: in family; in street situations; in community? Praise You Jesus that you can bring us together. Is unity under attack? Praise that in the name of Jesus unity can be restored. Greeting in love You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. Psalm 21:3 Would you greet somebody today that you find hard to love? Praise the Saviour. Do you know that you have a crown of glory waiting for you in heaven? Wear the praise for that now. Why not ask the Holy Spirit to show you somebody you can say hello to and talk with in love for Jesus? The honourable workperson From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. Genesis 39:5 Did you know that Joseph was hated by his brothers and sold into slavery? Yet he still worshipped God. Can you work honourably in whatever is given you to do, like Joseph? Remember he was in a foreign country as a slave. Glory to God. Do you know that if you work as if to the Lord in whatever you do you will be pointing the people around you to Jesus. Giving back to God Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Malachi 3: 10 Are you aware that the idea of giving first fruits is that you give to others even before you know the fullness of what God will give you materially? Can you praise God in giving as well as receiving? Can you help your local church with gifts of your time and small material possessions? Rains and water... because of your father s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. Genesis 49: 25 Even though you feel poor and have very little to live on, can you still make a list of all the blessings God has poured out over you? Can you refocus your time in prayer not on the things you lack but the things God has provided you with? Will you ask the Holy Spirit to furnish you with things to say to those around you to tell them how and in what way they are being blessed?
29 30 31 Jesus reigns forever Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue for ever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed for ever. 2 Samuel 7: 29 Despite all the difficulties you face, can you tell yourself that Jesus reigns forever? Jesus has conquered death, Alleluia! What are some of the things that God has spoken and promised? List them, hold on to them and praise Him. Can you understand how short our time on earth is? In the context of us reigning with Jesus forever surely we can sing his praises. Returning to family: peace After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. Acts 15:33 Is peace possible to rediscover with a family member long forgotten? Praise God that nothing is impossible for Him. Are you a prodigal that needs to return with deeper love of the Father, God? Know he is running towards you with open arms. Praise Him Is just the thought of a return to a place where there were misunderstandings frightening? Praise the name of Jesus as he takes away such fears. The Gospel: good news I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 1 Corinthians 9: 23 WEEK 5 Have you placed your task of sharing the good news that Jesus is alive above all others? Are you holding back your enthusiasm of your life with Jesus because your practical circumstances are less than you would have liked? Will you go anywhere the Spirit prompts you to tell others the good news, the gospel? Praise the Lord for His revelation for you today. The World Weekend of Prayer campaign is a global initiative held over the first weekend of June every year, uniting hundreds of thousands of adults and children across more than 40 countries. Viva inspires lasting change in children s lives through the power of collective action in 38 community networks worldwide. Registered charity no 1053389 Viva, Unit 8, The Gallery, 54 Marston Street, Oxford OX4 1LF T: 01865 811660 E: info@viva.org