When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid waste-land with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gained me this wealth.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.
[Deuteronomy 8: 10–18]
Somehow this year seems to have sped past and we are once again at harvest time! It has been a challenging year, yet harvest is a time to remember the gifts and blessings that we have, without forgetting the hardships. In Deuteronomy the people are reminded to give thanks for their blessings, never forgetting God’s generosity when everything seems great. However, they are also encouraged to remember that God was with them in the dark times; that everything they had was because God had blessed them and rescued them.
This is important for us to remember too. We are grateful and thankful when everything is good, but we need to remember this when things are bad too. This year has been hard and the trouble doesn’t seem to be over yet, but we need to remember that God is with us and to be thankful for all God has done for us in our lives. Our God is with us when things are hard and when things are good. God blesses us and only wants the best for us.
God of blessings,
we thank you for every blessing you have bestowed,
for your generosity and love,
your mercy and compassion.
Thank you for being with us through the good and the bad,
especially through the challenges of this year,
and that you will be with us in the challenges ahead.
Thank you, loving God.
Amen
You can download this Prayer for the Week here
Weekly Prayers for October 2020 by Revd Claire Rawlinson
Image: bounty – photo by Elaine Casap on Unsplash
