Finding the Grace, Praying the Gratitude

Each day is layered with grace upon grace.

But in the rush and grumbles of life we may not notice these layers.

Tyler Staton provides one possible antidote to our oblivion. Staton relays a helpful prayer practice to reveal these layers of grace and to produce gratitude.

The practice is called dayenu (die-EE-new) prayer. Dayenu is a Hebrew word that means something like “It would have been enough” (Staton, 2022).

This type of prayer proceeds by considering first what would have been enough in a situation and then thinking about all the ways God has exceeded that minimum and praying back all of these reflections to God in thanksgiving.

What does this prayer look like? Staton provides this example of dayenu prayer:

‘God, lunch today would’ve been enough, but you provided me with the resources to choose the type of food I wanted to eat and options to pick from.’

‘God, lunch of my choice would’ve been enough, but you created a world of flavor and spice and culture to make food more than fuel – to offer it as artistic and delicious.’

‘God, a delicious lunch of my choice would’ve been enough, but you gave me a coworker to share a conversation with over that food.’

‘Thank you, God, for overdoing it.’

Staton, 2022, p. 207

What a marvelous way to see life!

Rather than starting with some perceived lack, consider the minimum and all the ways God has surpassed it. Sprinkle in some reflections on your sin and how little you deserved in the first place, and you are on your way to heart-lifting, God-glorifying gratitude.

May this prayer practice be a help to you.

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Bibliography

Staton, T. (2022). Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer. Zondervan.