On Thanksgiving Day 2023:
A New Way to Give Thanks for Jesus

On Thanksgiving Day
2023

A dynamic, new way to thank God for Jesus—
the best blessing of all!
David Bryant

When you gather at your Thanksgiving table with family and friends, do you usually begin with a prayer of thanksgiving?

Considering all the ways God has favored you this past year, would you not agree that the person of our Lord Jesus Christ and all we have in him is, without exception, the very best blessing of all that we’ve received from the Father in 2023?

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:15 (TLB): “Thank God for his Son—his Gift too wonderful for words.”

True! There really are no words in any language adequate to express fully all that Jesus is and what he means to us.

Even so, Paul tells Christians to thank God for his Son anyway!

So how do we show our profound appreciation to the Father in a way that gets us beyond a sentence or two that sounds like we’re simply repeating “Thanks for Jesus” and not much more?

In this blog post, I want to give you a gift. It’s a written prayer of gratitude to God for his wonderful Son that’s a whole lot more dynamic—much richer and deeper—than many believers have ever prayed before.

I suggest you read it through silently. Then, read it again aloud. Consider reading it at your Thanksgiving table this year before everyone tackles the turkey. Send a copy home with those who share your meal so they can read and pray it again later.

It could transform some of the conversations that unfold as you eat. It might even challenge your companions to reevaluate how they see Christ at work in their own relationship with him as they head into 2024.

A Sevenfold Prayer of
Thanksgiving for Jesus

Dear Father, fountain of inexhaustible riches of grace:

We thank you for all the blessings you have poured upon us this past year. But most of all, we celebrate the very best blessing of all—the gift of your wonderful Son and everything we have experienced in him throughout 2023.

Thank you for how you have brought us into more of Christ and brought more of Christ into us this year.

That’s why we want to come before you to express our gratitude for the sevenfold blessing your dear Son has become for us—not only during this past year but for all the ages to come.

1)  We thank you for all that Christ is TO us today:
  • By the supremacy of his deity, as he reigns over us as God in the flesh.
  • By his intimacy with the Trinity, as he draws us with him into that circle of love.
  • As the perfection of revelation, in showing us himself so we see who you are.
  • As the picture of Scripture, fulfilling and filling full God’s Word with himself.
  • As seen in the claims of his names by scores of titles in Scripture defining who he is.
  • As our identity and destiny, in whom we live and move—and will forever.
  • As the Father’s passion and ours, the attention of our affection and praise.
2)  We thank you for all Christ is FOR Us today:
  • By the invasion of his incarnation, as he became one of us, to save us.
  • By the mission of his crucifixion, taking away our sin, death, and judgment.
  • By the re-creation of his resurrection, unleashing a new creation we now share.
  • By the coronation of his ascension, to bring us into his Kingdom triumphs.
3)  We thank you for all Christ is OVER us today:
  • By how Christ conquers, reigns, and governs to the ends of the earth.
  • By the reign of Christ over the workings of creation, filling it with his glory.
  • By the reign of Christ over the unfolding of world history, making it his story.
  • By the reign of Christ over the designs of global leaders, serving God’s purposes.
  • By the reign of Christ over the destiny of earth’s peoples, toward his salvation.
  • By the reign of Christ over the rebellion of dark powers with total victory.
  • By the reign of Christ over the building of his church and all who are part of it.
4)  We thank you for all Christ is BEFORE us today:
  • Because in all things in our lives, he remains prior, always going before us.
  • Because he leads us onward into the future by bringing it back to us now.
  • Because he leads us upward into the heavens, bringing us there with him now.
  • Because he leads us inward into God’s promises, fulfilling them in us now.
  • Because he leads us outward into the world, opening ways for us to serve now.
5)  We thank you for all Christ is WITHIN us today:
  • Because indwelling us is the main reason he sent the Holy Spirit into our lives.
  • Because he always takes the initiative, being direct and proactive with us.
  • Because he manifests his intimate presence with us, individually and together.
  • Because he works closely with us so that we grow to know him better each day.
  • Because this makes us become like Jesus’ temple, Jesus’ body, and Jesus’ bride.
  • Because this provides the basis for uniting all of God’s people as one community.
6)  We thank you for all Christ is THROUGH us today:
  • As he manifests through us how his saving reign cannot be contained.
  • As he empowers us to become bases of operation for his mission to the nations.
  • As he causes us to embody and fulfill the advance of his mission to the nations.
  • Because he promises our ministries for him will grow as our vision of him grows.
  • Because there are no limits to how fully Jesus will use us as he fills us with himself.
7)  We thank you for all Christ is UPON us today:
  • As he comes upon us to bring us into more of himself and his Kingdom purposes.
  • As he comes upon us to be for us the answer to the longings of our hearts.
  • Because he is always ready to accomplish more in our lives than we can imagine.
  • As he gives us foretastes of his final coming at the consummation of all things.
  • As he performs miracles that bring us approximations of the consummation.
  • As this hope ignites in us lives marked by daily anticipations for so much more.

Father, this is our sevenfold prayer of gratitude on Thanksgiving Day 2023.

Your word says in 2 Corinthians 9: “Thank God for his Son—his Gift too wonderful for words.” Truly, the praises of this prayer are wholly inadequate;

Jesus deserves so much more. But what we offer you, we offer with all our hearts to the praise of his great name. AMEN!

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My prayer follows the outline of the seven main chapters of my book Christ Is NOW! Dig deeper into the truths of this prayer by ordering a copy of the book on Amazon or by downloading the free ebook version HERE.


About the Author

Over the past 50 years, David Bryant has been defined by many as a “messenger of hope” and a “Christ proclaimer” to the Church throughout the world. Formerly a minister-at-large with the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, president of Concerts of Prayer International (COPI), and chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee, David now provides leadership to ChristNow.com and Proclaim Hope!, whose mission is to foster and serve Christ Awakening movements. Order his widely read books at DavidBryantBooks.com. Enjoy his regular Daily CHRIST TODAY Podcast.

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