Daily Devotional for November 21, 2021
Prayers of Praise
“I’ll pray today,” Tamara offered as she sat down for breakfast. “Dear Jesus, bless this food. Please give us good weather,” she prayed, thinking of the outing they had planned for the day. “Keep us safe, and please keep Cole from being fussy. Amen.” When she finished, Dad looked thoughtful as he helped himself to scrambled eggs.
After breakfast, they piled into the car—Mom and Dad, Tamara, her brother Amos, and baby Cole. Soon they were enjoying the sun and sand at the lake.
When her parents took Cole to dip his toes in the water, Tamara noticed several seagulls fighting over scraps of food not far from where she and Amos sat. Each bird clamored to get as much as it could for itself. “I think those birds must be hungry,” she said.
Amos took a few crackers from the picnic basket. “We could give them these.”
Tamara and Amos crumbled the crackers as they walked down the beach. When they threw crumbs to the seagulls, they were immediately surrounded by screeching birds who quickly gobbled up the pieces and squealed for more. They edged closer to the children, practically grabbing cracker crumbs out of their fingers. “I think they like us,” Tamara shouted. But when the crackers were gone, the birds were gone too, looking elsewhere for another handout.
“You shouldn’t feed the seagulls,” Mom said when they returned to their blanket. “Once you feed them, they never leave you alone.”
“These ones did,” said Tamara. “I thought they liked us, but it wasn’t us they liked. They just wanted crackers! When they got what they wanted, they left.”
Dad nodded. “I’m afraid we can be like seagulls sometimes—more interested in what we can get than in the one who gives us our blessings.” He smiled at Tamara’s puzzled look. “Our prayers often contain more words like give me than words like thank you. It’s easy to forget that we already have the best thing Jesus could ever give us—Himself! He died and rose again so we could have a relationship with Him, and that’s the greatest blessing of all.”
Before their lunch, Tamara offered to pray again. “Thank You, Jesus, for food and nice weather, and for each other, and most of all, for You.”
-Jan L. Hansen
How about you?
Have you ever said a prayer of praise and thanksgiving without asking for anything? Have you ever simply said, “Jesus, I love You”? He wants to hear your requests, but don’t forget the many blessings He’s already given you, including the greatest one of all—Himself. He’s always with you, filling you with His peace, hope, and love. Why not take a moment right now to tell Him how thankful you are to know Him as your Savior?
Thank you for reading this Keys for Kids devotional! Did you enjoy the story? Has Keys for Kids been an encouragement to you and your family? If so, would you please consider supporting Keys For Kids Ministries in our effort to continue to provide these daily devotionals to children around the world?