From Be Still and Know ...
"Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Philippians 4:6)
Sometimes our lives are so filled with anxiety and care, we feel we have little to be thankful for. We forget the many everyday blessings that we take for granted. Yet as we begin to count our blessings, thanking Him for what He has given us and done for us, our list grows rapidly.
Paul reminds us that THANKSGIVING is one of the ingredients for inner peace. " ... in everything by prayer and supplication with THANKSGIVING ". Thanksgiving comes from a heart filled with an awareness of the goodness of the Lord. In Psalm 103:1 and 2 we read, "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."
How thankful we should be for the access we have into His presence; of the privilege of coming to Him with our needs. How often we bring Him our requests but forget to thank Him for what He has given us. In the story of the ten lepers whom Jesus cleansed, only one returned to thank Him.
When we pray, we must remember to thank God for past blessings. "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord" (Psalm 92:1).
We are to thank Him in the midst of our difficulties and trials. "In EVERYTHING give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This is not easy.
As we pause to thank Him for answers to prayers in the past, our faith is increased as we pray for present need.
A. B. Simpson said, "Worry and anxiety flee as we come to Him with thanksgiving for past blessings and requests for present needs. As we commit them to Him, our hearts are filled with his peace."
Have you included thanksgiving in your prayer as you bring your requests to Him?
Don't forget to thank Him for his answers" (Philippians 4:6, LB).
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