Mother Teresa's Prayer
One afternoon as I was browsing through the aisles of the library, a certain book caught my attention. I was not searching for any book in particular, but the thick spine, bold words, and deep color caused this book to pop out in comparison to the old and dusty volumes that squeezed against it on either side. I had not intended to check out a book from the library that day, but upon reading the title of my random discovery in the library shelves, I decided to give this one a try.
That night before bed, I curled up with my new book called Come Be My Light. On the shiny new cover was a picture of Mother Teresa. The subtitle read, "The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta." As far as I knew, Mother Teresa was just a simple nun who cared for the poor, but opening the pages of that book was like opening the pages of her true character. From reading her letters, journal entries, poetry, and prayers, I gained many insights about her calling, her faith, her struggles, and her relationship with the Lord.
I want to share a quote from one of Mother Teresa's letters to her spiritual mentor. Normally she would close her letter with something like "Please pray for me," but in this letter, she concluded with these words:
"I beg you to thank God with me."
Usually when we beg people to pray for us, it is the result of a crisis or hardship. How often do we beg people to thank God for us? There is certainly a time for sharing our burdens through prayer, but I do not think we share our praise enough. Instead of waiting for trouble to rally a prayer meeting, gather to thank God. When you see the hand of God working in your life, call all your friends and beg them to thank God with you. If your heart is filled with awe at the name of the Lord, share your excitement with the people around you, begging them to thank God with you!
May the pleas from our hearts and the cries of our lips today be in praise, thanks, and adoration of the Lord. Just the beauty of nature, the gift of salvation by grace, the truth of God's Word, and the presence of the Holy Spirit is enough to inspire an attitude of gratefulness! I beg you to thank Him with me for how He loves us, cares for us, speaks to us, molds us, carries us, and delivers us. I am not soliciting prayers of supplication, but prayers of thanksgiving! Today, may our prayer petition be like that of Mother Teresa - "I beg you to thank God with me!"
That night before bed, I curled up with my new book called Come Be My Light. On the shiny new cover was a picture of Mother Teresa. The subtitle read, "The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta." As far as I knew, Mother Teresa was just a simple nun who cared for the poor, but opening the pages of that book was like opening the pages of her true character. From reading her letters, journal entries, poetry, and prayers, I gained many insights about her calling, her faith, her struggles, and her relationship with the Lord.
I want to share a quote from one of Mother Teresa's letters to her spiritual mentor. Normally she would close her letter with something like "Please pray for me," but in this letter, she concluded with these words:
"I beg you to thank God with me."
Usually when we beg people to pray for us, it is the result of a crisis or hardship. How often do we beg people to thank God for us? There is certainly a time for sharing our burdens through prayer, but I do not think we share our praise enough. Instead of waiting for trouble to rally a prayer meeting, gather to thank God. When you see the hand of God working in your life, call all your friends and beg them to thank God with you. If your heart is filled with awe at the name of the Lord, share your excitement with the people around you, begging them to thank God with you!
May the pleas from our hearts and the cries of our lips today be in praise, thanks, and adoration of the Lord. Just the beauty of nature, the gift of salvation by grace, the truth of God's Word, and the presence of the Holy Spirit is enough to inspire an attitude of gratefulness! I beg you to thank Him with me for how He loves us, cares for us, speaks to us, molds us, carries us, and delivers us. I am not soliciting prayers of supplication, but prayers of thanksgiving! Today, may our prayer petition be like that of Mother Teresa - "I beg you to thank God with me!"
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