Heaven’s Symphony: Unlock the Transformative Power of Gratitude and Grace

This is a continuation of my most recent two way prayer where I reflected on the sacred pause that prayer invites and the profound gratitude it fosters. As I poured out my heart in thanksgiving—from the chaotic to the calm, the mundane to the miraculous—I was reminded again of how prayer transforms not just my own spirit but also those with whom I share it, with whom I pray. What inevitably unfolds in my prayer fellowship was a testament to God’s divine orchestration, as reflections from my partners echoed and expanded upon the very truths I had prayed.

Every time I share a prayer, something remarkable happens. God orchestrates a divine symphony in the breakout Zoom rooms of my two-way prayer fellowship, placing each of us exactly and precisely where we’re meant to be. Time and time and time and time again, I’m reminded: there are no coincidences! God’s hand is always at work, aligning our paths, our prayers, and our reflections in ways that transform us all. There’s always a common theme among the 3 or 4 of us.

And this day was no exception. As I shared my prayer, gratitude flowed out of my heart and my pen like a geyser. Gratitude for the big and small things alike—a peaceful home, the scent of a candle, even a drop of toilet water (on my eye!) on an otherwise chaotic day. I thanked God for writing that slows me down, for Her divine timing, and for the deep, gentle work She’s doing within me. It was a prayer of presence, of returning to myself and to the Truth that all things happen on God’s time.

And then, as always, God spoke back—not just to me, but through me, to others. God spoke through others to me, too, as it always happens. The reflections I received mirrored my prayer right back to me, amplifying the very truths I’d spoken, some of which even I missed. Imagine that!

It’s a humbling thing to witness how our prayers ripple outward, touching hearts and shifting perspectives. The essence of my prayer partners’ reflections crystal clear: gratitude transforms everything. The small things—a meal, a smell, a moment of stillness—carry profound meaning when we pause to notice them. Gratitude invites us back to ourselves, to the present, and ultimately, to God.

Because God is the “I AM THAT I AM” GOD. Not the God of I was or I will be, but “I AM that I AM”! Speaking of, we closed the prayer meeting with this poem:

My Name is I Am
I was regretting the past,
and fearing the future.
Suddenly my Lord was speaking:
“My name is I Am”.
He paused.
I waited. 
He continued…
“When you live in the past,
with its mistakes and regrets,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I WAS.
When you live in the future,
with its problems and fears,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I WILL BE.
When you live in this moment
it is not hard. I am here.
My name is I AM.”

by Helen Mallicoat

Another theme emerged in this two way prayer meeting, one that so often surfaces: God’s timing, unlike my own is perfect, even when it feels impossible to grasp. (Side note: The God who created time operates outside of time but we must operate inside of it because of our humanity, our small-mindedness. And yet the God of ALL is PERFECT?! I have minimal control over anything but baaaby, if there’s one thing I know to be true, it’s to settle down and let God’s timing rule because she can like and when I can’t!)

As I prayed about honoring divine timing, my prayer partners’ reflections reminded me just how much peace comes from trusting that where I am is precisely where I’m supposed to be. That the classroom of life, with all its lessons and challenges, is divinely curated for my growth. That the worst things that happened to me are actually the best things that happen for me!

I learned one more again that reading our prayers isn’t just about saying them aloud—it’s about being present, being vulnerable, and allowing God to work through each of us. It’s about confessing with my mouth. It’s about saying what needs to be said, about saying the thing I sometimes don’t want to say! With this two way prayer, it was about feeling like my prayer way incomplete only to read it and know with certainty that it was, in fact, complete! Each prayer opens the door for someone else to step into their own gratitude, to see their own path and journey in a new light. And as they reflect the Light back to me, I see myself more clearly, too.

This is why we share. Not to teach or preach, but to connect! To let God move between us, weaving threads of grace and truth that bind us to one another and to Her. It’s a sacred exchange, a divine collaboration, where each word spoken and received becomes part of the greater whole. After all, out of many one. Or perhaps, out of one, many.

Every prayer, every reflection, reassures me that God is present in the small things, the quiet moments, and the spaces between. And when we listen, when we obey, when we act in faith—God moves big and bold on our behalf.

This is the law and God’s promise that is prayer. It’s already done. God already did it for me. For all of us.

Selah—sacred pause. It is already so.

Amen.