Thankfulness and Pinched Noses
Isn’t it wonderful that we as a nation continue to set aside a day to be thankful? God has given us abundant reasons to have grateful hearts. Blessings abound every day of our lives. Therefore, our grateful hearts overflow with thanksgiving.
While we wonder if the turkey will be moist, we are thankful we have food. While we hurry to get the children out the door to Grandma’s, we are thankful for the children and for Grandma. While we wish we were in a one-horse sleigh instead of a car in the midst of a three-mile traffic jam, we are thankful we can get to our loved ones in hours or days instead of weeks or months–and that we have loved ones who care that we come.
Isn’t prayer wonderful? People don’t always answer our texts or calls or emails. They are not always available when we want to rejoice or to weep, but God is. We can pray to Him anytime and anywhere. We have a listener. What a blessing.
The Bible gives examples of ways that people have prayed.
When Daniel knew that prayer to anyone besides the king was illegal, “he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously” (Daniel 6:10, NASB).
King Solomon prayed “kneeling on his knees with his hands spread toward heaven” (1 Kings 8:54, NASB).
When Jesus saw the tax collector pray, the tax collector was “standing some distance away” and “was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me the sinner!'” (Luke 18:13, NASB).
When I was a girl, I noticed that one of the ladies at our church gently pinched her upper nose between her thumb and her index finger when she prayed. Because I thought this woman was a spiritual giant, I decided that when I grew up, I would also pinch my nose when I prayed. Sometimes I would even give it a try back then. I would sneak my fingers to my nose while everyone else had their eyes closed during a prayer.
Jesus’ disciples knew exactly where to go to learn to pray:
It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place,
after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”
And He said to them, “When you pray, say:
‘Father, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
Luke 11:1-3, NASB
Evidently Jesus did not say anything that day about kneeling or folding hands or bowing heads or even pinching noses. Instead He taught His disciples that God was their Father and that they should talk to Him about their deepest needs. Paul later taught us to pray without ceasing while giving thanks in everything.
As we teach our children and grandchildren to pray, let’s teach them the devotion and attitude God wants from their prayers.
Devote yourselves to prayer,
keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;
Colossians 4:2, NASB