Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "The Prayer Blanket" for Sunday, 28 September 2014 - Read 1 Thessalonians 5: The Way He Wants You to Live12-13 And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
13-15 Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
19-22 Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.
23-24 May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!
Pray without ceasing.(1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NRSV))
While repairing my house, I slid off the roof, caught my foot in the ladder, and hit the patio deck. I did not know if I had broken any bones, but I knew I was hurt. Ginger, my wife of 50 years, heard the thud and came running. I later learned that I had torn a tendon in my foot.
Before I had surgery, members of my church made a prayer blanket for me. When church members, friends, and family prayed for me, they tied a knot along the edge of the prayer blanket. I took my prayer blanket to the hospital and asked my medical team to tie a prayer knot in it. Some tied a braided knot. My surgeon tied a surgeon’s knot, one that is used to secure stitches. Most people tied a granny knot. Some prayed for me aloud; others closed their eyes and prayed silently. A woman from El Salvador prayed in Spanish and cried as she prayed. Their prayers were uplifting. I could feel the spirit of the Lord moving with each tied knot. Sometimes, when I was feeling a lot of pain, I held the knots in the blanket, knowing that each knot represented someone’s prayer for me. My recovery will take nine months. During that time I will continue to pray for those who prayed for me, counting each knot as I do.
The Author: Tom Gregg (Texas)
Thought for the Day: Praying for others is a blessing.
Prayer: Dear God, give us the courage and desire to pray for others. Teach us to “pray without ceasing.”Amen.
Prayer focus: Those recovering from surgery
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