THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  (Luke 10:21 NKJV)

In that hour. It was an hour of great congratulation for the small group of disciples. The seventy had returned with joy. They had tried the power of His Name with demons and disease, and it had triumphed. Our Lord yielded to the gladness of His followers, and gave Himself up to an unusual burst of happiness.

Notice His habitual way of addressing God. Twice He speaks to Him as Father. Thus in joy, equally as in the sorrow of Gethsemane and the anguish of death, the fatherhood of God was the Rock of Ages to the man Christ Jesus, in the cleft of which He hid Himself. Only Jesus knew what God was and could be to the lonely soul. As the mountain is reflected in the lake at its foot, so the Father saw Himself perfectly reflected in Jesus.

Inscribed over the portico of an Egyptian temple are these words: "I am he that was and shall be, and no man hath lifted my veil." In this connection it is significant that when our Savior died, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. Before that hour the knowledge of God had been confined to the few elect souls, and to these it came as through a glass darkly; but from that hour the innermost secret of God's love was disclosed. And that unveiling of the Father's heart is typical of the work of our Lord for us all.

We must be like small child though. The ways of God are revealed unto babes. The child is pure; is humble. It is to the transparent and simple heart that Jesus waits to give Himself.

We must be prepared to say yes to God. Our Lord was face to face with one of the great mysteries of providence; why certain things are hidden from some and revealed to others; but He rolled the whole perplexity back on the Father, and was at rest. When in a deaf and dumb school, a visitor wrote on the blackboard: "Why did God make you deaf and dumb, and me able to speak and hear?" One of the children took the chalk and wrote beneath: "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight."

We must pass on to others what we know. He will not teach us merely for our own gratification, but that we may benefit others close by.  Have you told someone about Jesus today?

PRAYER

Teach us, heavenly Father, to pray, to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. May our hearts be filled with His deep yearnings, and our lips become the medium by which He shall find utterance. In Jesus name we ask it, AMEN.

God’s Daily Promise

Promise #13:
I will give you rest in green pastures and lead you to still waters.

Psalm 23:2 (WEB)  
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.