CONTINUING TO PRAY WITH GRATITUDE

Today I thought we’d take these few moments to settle into gratitude – to recall what God has done and all that He promises to do for us. 

Let us come to him with thanksgiving.  Let us sing psalms of praise to him.   Psalm 95:2

We want to come to You today with thanksgiving, God and praise You for all You are and all You are doing for us.  There are lots of things in our circumstances that we would like to be different from what they are but we want to really see our circumstances with Your eyes today.  You are good and You care for us.  There’s nothing we need that You cannot provide.  You’ve instructed us to:

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Help us to find Your heart today.  Show us how to rejoice in You when so many things around us and even inside us are unsettled.  Help us to use the simple steps You’ve shown us to find our way through – to pray continually, to keep Your loving face before us, and to welcome Your sustaining presence to fill us and strengthen us. 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.  1 Chronicles 16:34

We want to give thanks today because no matter how challenging our circumstances, we know that we belong to a good God who takes care of those He loves.  Nothing can separate us from Your love today.  As hard as some things seem, we thank You God that Your love endures.  As we keep our hearts focused on Your love You promise to rescue us and to protect us.  What an encouragement that is during difficult days and weeks. 

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;   I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  Psalm 91:14

We want to join our hearts with those who are praising You God and giving thanks to You because You are ruling and reigning today.  We may not see the physical evidence of that in what’s before our eyes at the moment, but You have great power and You are in control of everything that is going on in our world and in our hearts today.  What security we have even though our emotions waver and our spirits lag. 

Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!     His faithful love endures forever.  Who can list the glorious  miracles of the Lord?  Who can ever praise him enough? Psalm 106:1-2

Well, we can’t begin to tap into all the good things God is doing for us in just a couple of minutes.  Let’s so our best all through this day to return to gratitude often and make as big a list as we can of God’s goodness in our lives.