Grateful and Thankful 11, Eight Reasons To Be Thankful

Grateful and Thankful 11, Eight Reasons To Be Thankful
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Dear Friends,
Many of us set aside the fourth Thursday in November to celebrate the holiday "Thanksgiving". Roy wrote the devotional post below with the hope that it might be shared at Thanksgiving tables across the United States. We recognize that many of our readers are not in the U.S., and wouldn’t be acknowledging this holiday, yet we ALL can celebrate God’s goodness, His mercy and kindness that He extends to us, no matter where we live. May this devotion be a blessing to you, whether read aloud at a table shared with friends and loved ones, or as a quiet prayer whispered alone. We all have so many things to be thankful for, every day of the year.
Blessings of grace and peace,
Marina, for all of us at Meeting in the Meadow

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name (Psalm 100:4).

T-Truth:
God’s truth. True truth. Absolute truth! Truth that provides the foundation to build your life upon.

H-Hope:
God’s kingdom. Vast. Unshakable. Almighty. Not wishful thinking. Genuine. Certain. Secure. Ruled by Him who reigns forever and ever.

A-Abundance:
God’s generosity. Never depleted. Not rationed. Bountiful. Overflowing. Your cup running over.

N-Nearness:
God’s presence. With you. Helping. Never leaving or forsaking. Surrounding you. The source of your joy.

K-Kindness:
God’s compassion. A Father’s heart. Never cruel, mean or indifferent. Caring. Concerned. Gracious.

F-Faithfulness:
God’s character. Unfailing. Consistent. Dependable. He will never ignore you. You will never be forgotten.

U-Uniqueness:
God’s greatness. Without rival. Omnipotent. There is no other god. Perfect. Complete. All you need!

L-Love:
God’s beauty. Holy love. Undefiled. Not capricious. Matchless. Indescribable. Everlasting. Poured out upon you through His Son.

Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Father God, you have given so much to me, and my "Thank You" seems so small, but it needs to be said...so thank you. (Feel free to be specific in thanking God for the things you are grateful for.) In Jesus's name, amen.

#gratefulandthankful #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo and prayer by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Grateful and Thankful 10, My Morning Prayer, The Humble Place

Grateful and Thankful 10, My Morning Prayer, The Humble Place
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

For thus says the high and lofty One—He Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, but with him also who is of a thoroughly penitent and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the thoroughly penitent [bruised with sorrow for sin] (Isaiah 57:15 AMP).

We need to travel the lowly path and seek the humble place before God. We cannot take the high place of pride, the exalted place of self-significance, the lofty place of personal achievements, the arrogant place of personal goodness, or the haughty place of self-sufficiency.

God’s grace works within our lives to strip us and reduce us, to mold us and shape us, to conform us into His image and to transform us into His likeness. God must reveal to us our true needs, and cause us to see how truly dependent we are upon Him. God does this, not to leave us empty, but to fill us with His true riches found in Jesus Christ; not to leave us downcast, but to be our glory and the lifter of our heads; not to make our lives miserable, but to bring to us the fullness of His joy; not to make our lives meaningless, but to work within us His eternal purpose.

Don’t be discouraged today if you sense God’s hand doing its sanctifying work in your life. If He is trimming your wick, it is only to make your light shine brighter; if He is shaping your vessel on His potter’s wheel, it is only to increase your capacity for Him; if He is allowing you to be pressed within His caring hands, it is only to release the flow of the sweet wine of His Spirit.

Humble yourself under His mighty hand, His sure hand, His firm hand, His caring hand, and as you do, allow this prayer to be upon your lips:

“Father, work in me what I cannot work; do in me what I cannot do; be in me what I cannot be; live through me what I cannot live—for I know it is through You, and You alone, that my life will be to the praise of Your glory. In Jesus's name, amen."

#gratefulandthankful #mymorningprayer #thehumbleplace #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Grateful and Thankful 9, Timely Tidbits of Truth, Changeless

Grateful and Thankful 9, Timely Tidbits of Truth, Changeless
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

I am the Lord, I do not change (Malachi 3:6 AMP).

God never changes. He doesn’t need to. He is perfect—without flaw, error, inconsistency, mistake, or poor judgment. He doesn’t have good moods and bad moods. His goodness, purity, holiness, and character are eternal.

God Doesn’t Need to Change—
He has never been unjust.
He has never been untrue.
He has never been unwise.
He has never been unaware.
He has never been unloving.
He has never been unreliable.
He has never been unrighteous.
Because God is eternally changeless He is eternally faithful.

My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Thank you, God, for being the only consistent thing in my life. I need more of you today, and every day. I'm grateful that you have shown up over and over again, even in the midst of my distractions and attitudes. You are steadfast and true, so please help me to be more like you! In Jesus's name, amen.

#gratefulandthankful #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #Malachi3 #changeless #dependable

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo and prayer by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Grateful and Thankful 8, Jesus’ Outstretched Hand

Grateful and Thankful 8, Jesus’ Outstretched Hand
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

And He (Jesus) put forth His hand, and touched him (Matthew 5:13 NKJV).

He reaches out to the sick and brings healing.
He reaches out to the hungry and provides bread.
He reaches out to the guilty and extends mercy.
He reaches out to the repentant and brings forgiveness.
He reaches out to the lepers and makes them clean.
He reaches out to the fearful and gives them peace.
He reaches out to the broken hearted and binds their wounds.
He reaches out to the sorrowful and gives them comfort.
He reaches out to the discouraged and gives them hope.
He reaches out to the weak and makes them strong.
He reaches out to those in despair and places their feet upon the rock of His salvation.
He reaches out to the humble and gives them grace.
He reaches out to the childlike and draws them close to His heart.
He reaches out to all who follow Him and gives them His blessing.

My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

My dearest Father God, thank you for continually reaching out to me and to those I love...even those who don't yet know you as I do. Father, please continue to touch our hearts, changing us to be more like you. I ask that we will remember the times you have so gently reached out to us with comfort and hope, with strength and grace. Please draw us close to your heart, that we might feel your nearness and hear your heartbeat. Pour out your unending supply of Peace over us. In Jesus's name, amen.

#gratefulandthankful #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #Matthew5 #hardships #Godreachesout

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo and prayer by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Grateful and Thankful 7, My Morning Prayer, The Desires of the Heart

Grateful and Thankful 7, My Morning Prayer, The Desires of the Heart

-Roy Lessin and Marina Bromley

The Desires of the Heart
-Roy Lessin

“God carries in His heart the fulfillment to all the desires He has placed within yours.”
-Unknown

Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass…rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him
(Psalm 37:3-7).

The desires of Psalm 37 are born out of a relationship with God—His desires will be those of the Spirit and will have an eternal purpose.
He is the only one who can fulfill the desires He has placed within us—He doesn’t say to us, “I have placed My desires within you, now it’s up to you, go out and make them happen.”

He places His desires in us as a result of our delighting in Him—we will desire what He desires, delight in what He delights in, and rejoice over the things He rejoices over.

He wants us to trust in His faithfulness to fulfill those desires.

Don’t give up on any desire that God has placed within you.

What should you do as you wait upon Him to fulfill those desires? Do not attempt to strive, manipulate, or struggle in yourself to fulfill them. God has promised you that He will give you the desires of your heart; God has said that He will bring it to pass.

As you wait, rest and wait patiently for Him. There is no benefit in pressing or pushing, but rather be at peace, knowing that God’s timing is always perfect and His ways are not our ways.

My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Lord God, I am so grateful and thankful for your place and presence in my life. I know that your promises are true and that you are dependable to fulfill your will in my life. Help me, Lord, to trust your plans over my own, and to see that your timing for my life is perfect. I don't need to struggle to see my dreams come true, and I can trust you with those plans and my heart! Let your will be done in my life, as I surrender my own will so yours can come into fruition. Thank you for loving me so completely! In Jesus's name, amen.

#prayer #mymorningprayer #psalm37 #gratefulandthankful #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo and prayer by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.