Non Nobis Domine! A prayer of thanksgiving (pt 1)

In my line of work, 100% commission sales, you really learn how much you depend upon Divine Providence to provide for you. Without a stable, fixed income you don't know if you're going to make enough to survive the next month and pay the rent. Of course, you can also make more than you would otherwise be able to, really you have a nearly limitless potential income, but that potency isn't always (or even frequently) actualized on a month to month basis.When a sale is made and we see good money, the very real prospect of not making it that month disappears. We could very easily not have made it, but we did.

This precarious lifestyle brings home how much we truly rely solely in Him who "provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call" (Psalm 147:9). We know we are worth much more than they are (cf. Matt 6:26). We also know that while we can do all things through Him (cf. Phil 4:13), we can do nothing without Him (cf. Jn 15:5). Which is why, when we find ourselves again with roof, food, and clothing, I raise my heart to the Lord to thank Him for His provision for my family.

One prayer I often use to this end is the ancient prayer "Non nobis Domine." A beautiful rendition is found in the movie adaptation of William Shakespeare's Henry V:

Non nobis, non nobis, Domine
Sed nomini tuo da gloriam.
(Psalm 139:9 - Vulgate)

which the King James version renders:

Not to us, not to us, O Lord,
But to thy name give glory.