Ncdataman
Member
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2007
- Messages
- 1,831
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
—Colossians 4:2, NIV
Prayer isn’t just asking God for something we want. Prayer should also include confession of sin and praise to God for who He is and what He has done for us.
But prayer should have an additional element, and that is thanksgiving. Repeatedly the Bible commands us to give thanks. The psalmist said, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 107:1). Jesus only distributed the bread He had miraculously provided for the crowds after “he had given thanks” (Matthew 15:36, NIV). At the Last Supper with His disciples, before facing the horror of the Cross, Jesus “gave thanks” (Luke 22:17, 19).
It’s easy to be thankful when God blesses us with something good—swift recovery from an illness, for example, or an advancement at work. But the Bible says we should “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for [us] in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV, italics mine).
Thankfulness drives away a sour or prideful spirit. Make it part of your prayers every day.
—Colossians 4:2, NIV
Prayer isn’t just asking God for something we want. Prayer should also include confession of sin and praise to God for who He is and what He has done for us.
But prayer should have an additional element, and that is thanksgiving. Repeatedly the Bible commands us to give thanks. The psalmist said, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 107:1). Jesus only distributed the bread He had miraculously provided for the crowds after “he had given thanks” (Matthew 15:36, NIV). At the Last Supper with His disciples, before facing the horror of the Cross, Jesus “gave thanks” (Luke 22:17, 19).
It’s easy to be thankful when God blesses us with something good—swift recovery from an illness, for example, or an advancement at work. But the Bible says we should “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for [us] in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV, italics mine).
Thankfulness drives away a sour or prideful spirit. Make it part of your prayers every day.
