Pray and Give Thanks
– From Hearing From God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer
Daniel 6:10
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
Giving thanks is so important to being able to hear God’s voice because, like praise and worship, it is something God responds to. It’s something God loves, something that warms His heart. Anytime we give God pleasure like that, our intimacy with Him increases – and that makes for a better relationship with Him.
If we are not thankful for what we have, why should He give us something else to murmur about? On the other hand, when God sees that we genuinely appreciate and are thankful for the big and little things, He is inclined to bless us even more. According to Philippians 4:6, everything we ask God for should be preceded and accompanied by thanksgiving. No matter what we pray for, thanksgiving should always go with it. A good habit to develop is starting all of our prayers with thanksgiving. An example of this would be: “Thank You for all You have done in my life. You are awesome and I really love and appreciate You.”
I encourage you to examine your life, to pay attention to your thoughts and your words, and see how much thanksgiving you express. If you want a challenge, just try to get through an entire day without uttering one word of complaint. Develop an attitude of thanksgiving in every situation. In fact, just become outrageously thankful – and watch as your intimacy with God increases and as He pours out greater blessings than ever before.
God’s word for you today: Speak words of thanksgiving, not words of complaint.
From the book Hearing from God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2010 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.