Today, I am delighted to welcome my wise friend, Jennifer Bryant, to encourage us as we pray: Thank You, Jesus. 

As a young couple, we heard rumors of expected expenses once the babies came. But we thought that financial burden began after we left the hospital.

Following an emergency surgery, special machines to monitor his premature status, the birth of our second son came with a hefty medical bill. Insurance covered most of it, but ten percent was still ours to shoulder along with our bouncing baby boy.

In those days, we had taken on a new business, and mostly depended on my meager teacher’s salary to keep us afloat. We agreed to split costs to pay down this baby bill.

One afternoon, he surprised me with an envelope. I opened it curiously to see the hospital expenses listed and totalled. Next to the large sum was a hand-written note that said Paid in Full and that day’s date.

To my great excitement and surprise, my hard-working husband found a way to pay off the entire bill in just a few months. The relief of knowing we didn’t have this financial burden hanging over us anymore sent my heart soaring.

I felt lighter, lifted, and thankful that our nearer future would be an easier road to walk.

When we experience moments of authentic gratitude, they are usually in response to an act of love, kindness, much-needed help, or incredible sacrifice.

The natural response of a thankful heart is based in remembering the power outside of ourselves that allowed peace and joy to enter.

That muscle of authentic thankfulness builds when we actively remember these moments.

It’s no wonder God told Joshua to have the Israelites set up stones of remembrance to reflect on what God had done for them. Just as with Moses and the Red Sea, the Lord allowed His people to cross the Jordan River on dry ground and into the promised land.

A seemingly impossible feat, God’s chosen people took steps forward through unbelievable circumstances. When it was over, God told Joshua to instruct twelve men (one from each tribe) to walk to the middle of the miraculously dry river to collect stones to bring ashore.

Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and He kept it dry until you were all across, just as He did at the Red Sea when He dried it up until we had all crossed over. He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.” (Joshua 4:21-24 NLT)

These stones must have been large and heavy, because the men were told to carry them on their shoulders. I suppose they may have been smoother-looking than stones from shore, to prove that God’s people were once in the impossible depths.

Sometimes, we need visible reminders to point back to our once impossible depths and say, “Thank You, Jesus.“

We remember them because they were connected to a traumatically negative emotion like pain, grief, loss, worry, doubt, fear, anger, hunger, or shame.

Sometimes those markers look and feel more like scars, made smoother over time. But they allow us to say confidently:

I owed more than I could pay, and You paid it.

I was in the depths, and You rescued me.

I was sick, and You healed me.

I was hurt, and You comforted me.

I was grieved, and You relieved me.

I was lost, and You gave me hope.

I was worried, and You assured me 

I was doubtful, and You led me.

I was afraid, and You soothed me.

I was angry, and You calmed me.

I was hungry, and You fed me.

I was ashamed, and You forgave me.

Lord of my life,

Provider,

Conqueror,

Protector,

Redeemer, 

Thank you – THANK YOU…. Jesus.

He pays every debt in full, makes beauty from our ashes, and raises the dead to live alive with Him forever.

A thankful heart is a response to an incredible gift.

When we choose to accept His gifts and respond with a genuine heart of gratitude, that incredible feeling of thank-FUL-ness is a door that sets us free from future worry and torment about the flood of what-ifs and unknowns. 

It’s an act of acceptance and acknowledgment that we cannot save ourselves.

It’s an act of surrender, like the prodigal son on his knees, head buried in his Father’s chest.

Thankful hearts are full to overflowing and cannot help but cry out in gratitude. 

Talk about your experiences. Let them flow out loud with others and how once crushing times with God’s help have transformed you. Keep moving, keep improving, and keep praying forward. 

Thank You, Jesus. Nothing is impossible for You.

Jennifer Bryant is the wife of a good man and mother of two precious preteens. Her favorite things include reading, organizing, blogging, singing with her kids, laughing out loud with her husband, and making food for people. She lives in Honolulu, Hawaii and dreams of taking her family on marvelous adventures across the globe. She is a writer and podcaster at PracticalFamily.org, and encourages mothers to build practical skills for healthy communication, and strengthens homeschool moms for every-day struggles to raise the next generation. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

The Pray Big Sisterhood

Every morning, I wake up and lift my heart to God in prayer.

I praise Him for His glory and goodness.

I surrender my agenda and expectations to His greater kingdom purposes.

I yield my desires to do His will.

And, then I ask for Him to move a mountain.

I cry out to Him for that mountain to crumble.

I believe that God is bigger than any obstacle or stronghold.

Yet, my mountain remains — immovable and unyielding.

Do you have a mountain?   I bet you do.

Like me, you may be discouraged by the darkness that looms large in your view.

You aren’t alone. If we sat down today in my kitchen and shared our stories, I bet we would see similarities.

Together, we would ask God to move two mountains.

With worshipful hearts, let’s keep crying out to the Lord for those mountains to crumble.

Let’s pray big!

To help you get started, I’m sharing a copy of My Pray Big Prayer Calendar with you. Join the Wildfire Faith Community and  grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library. Print out your copy and start each morning inviting God to strengthen your step and breathe fresh wind into your weary spirit.  

 If you are visiting from Jenn’s today,

welcome to my little space on the web!

Here you will find fuel for a wildfire faith to help you

• • LOVE DEEP: Fervently extend God’s kindness and grace to pesky people.
  • PRAY BIG: Go down fighting on your knees with fire in your bones.
  • HOPE FULL: Stay tethered to a confident anticipation that keeps your heart ablaze.
  • STAND STRONG: Rest courageously on God’s promises with red-hot resolve.

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Challenge:  Every day this week, start your day with this prayer: Thank You, Jesus.

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