Pray with Thanksgiving, Always
Philippians 4:6 says-
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
This verse is a reminder for us as believers to shelve our anxieties in life and to be in the posture of prayer always. Because we tend to focus on our own needs, we sometimes gloss over the last part about presenting our requests to God ‘with thanksgiving’. I’m sure God listens intently to our needs when we pray – maybe to the extent that sometimes He would like to tell us to stop talking for a minute so He can answer – but let’s not lose sight of the context our requests should be made in. Adding ‘thanksgiving’ to our perspective when we run down our list of wants/needs reframes the request.
For example, when asking God to help you financially – if you add ‘thanksgiving’ to the context you are almost forced to think about the things He is already doing in your life. As you ask God to fix a person you are in a relationship with – adding ‘thanksgiving’ forces you to look at the areas of your life that he has changed or is transforming so you can better minister to them. Being thankful forces us to be content while God is working things out in our lives.
Next time you pray – tell God what you want but tell Him with Thanksgiving! 🌻
#ThankYouGod
