The Practice of Thanksgiving

Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:17,18 NLT

On my journey as an author and speaker, I've met many Christians who feel awkward when it comes to prayer because they don't know how to start their conversation with God. This is not uncommon in the beginning stages of any relationship, but as children of God we should never feel uncomfortable talking to our heavenly Father.

Giving thanks is one of the best ways to start our prayers. When we think about how faithful God has been and all He has done for us, our hearts will naturally overflow with gratitude. We’ll soon realize we have more than enough to say. We may even forget about our problems or what we were going to ask for, because thanksgiving and praise is a sure way to shift our mood and attitude in the right direction. Even if things are not the way we want them to be, or even if we are still waiting on God to answer our prayers, we still have an abundance of things to be thankful for.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Psalm 100:4

Thanksgiving literally ushers us into God’s presence. When we feel His awesome presence we have reached His throne of grace. There we can find mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. Now is the time to offer up our prayers and petitions.

Complaining and rehearsing our problems only keep us on the outskirts or outer courts where we are distant from God, which is not beneficial to us, or pleasing to God. But thanksgiving and praise brings joy to His heart and it helps us to see the situation from a different prospective.

The Practice of Being Thankful

Think back over your life and remember what God has done for you

Ask yourself ~ what am I thankful for today?

Make a list or mental note and begin to give thanks to God

Psalms 22:3 tells us, God inhabits the praises of His people. Whenever we’re in a dry season or we don’t know what to pray, we can always offer thanks to God.  Prayers flowing from a thankful heart will always lead us into God’s presence where there is fullness of joy.

Blessings!

Kathy