Hey, Carpool Crew! Somebody at the table says, all right, who wants to pray, and suddenly everybody is very interested in their napkin. I'm Pastor Justin, and before we jump in, let me give a big shout-out to Ryleigh, Jayce and Maddie Rose from Kentucky. Second episode of the day for you three. You are getting the bonus round. And this episode is all about praying out loud at the table without freezing up. We've all been there. Let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride: thanks, someone, something. That's the whole prayer. In First Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 16 through 18, Paul writes, "Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Pray constantly is a fancy way of saying prayer is not a special occasion thing. It is a normal, out loud, everyday thing. Like passing the rolls. Jesus is standing on a grassy hillside holding five little loaves and two fish, and five thousand hungry people are sitting on the grass in front of Him. He looks up and thanks God for the food before one single person has taken a bite. He said thank you over a lunch that was not close to enough yet. If Jesus were sitting next to you at that table tonight, He would look right at you and say, "You do not need fancy words. Tell Me what is good, and tell Me who you are thinking about. I am listening the whole time." It is spaghetti night. Steam is coming off the meatballs, your sister already has her fork in her hand, and a grown-up says, who wants to pray? Your stomach does a little flip. Not because you do not love God. Because you do not know what to say, and everybody is sitting there with their eyes closed, waiting on you. Hey, this week, try these three things at the table. First, thank God for something you can actually see. Not thank You God for everything. Thank You God for this spaghetti. Thank You God for Mom, who cooked it after a long day. Thank You God that we are all sitting here at the same time, which does not happen every night. Psalm 136, verse 1 starts in that exact spot: "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His faithful love endures forever." Second, pray for somebody who is not at the table. Your cousin two states away. Your teacher. The kid in your class who had a rough week. Say the actual name out loud. "God, please be with Owen today." Names make it real. Third, pray for something that has not happened yet. The field trip on Friday. The game Saturday morning. The first day at a new practice. Philippians 4:6 says to bring all of it: "in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Thanks, someone, something. Eleven seconds. Then you pick your fork back up. Anybody can pray a prayer that sounds good in front of people. Praying for a kid who will never know you said their name is different. That is the kind of prayer God leans in for. This works past the dinner table too. Colossians 3:17 says, "whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Cereal counts. A gas station burrito counts. Hey, let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. Thanks, someone, something. That's the whole prayer. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, real quick. You probably know another family who would use this at their table tonight. Go ahead and send it to them. Before you go, let's answer this question together. Who is one person who is not at our table tonight that we could pray for by name? I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.
