July 20
Here it is again in Colossians 4:
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;
Prayer and Thanksgiving.
Prayer without thanksgiving can be rote recitations or
endless petitions, both which make a person sleepy and tired. I’ve drifted off to sleep many nights just
crying my eyes out over my needs and the needs of those I love. And it was not a peaceful sleep.
However, there have been times when I start off my prayer
thanking God for as many attributes about Him that I can think of, or for
blessings he’s given me and mine, or for his great power. And often, when I’ve started my prayer out
with this “attitude” of thanksgiving, I don’t even feel a need to petition him
for anything.
After we direct our hearts to be thankful, somehow we realize
what a good Father we have and all is well with our soul. We trust in his unfailing love. We recall his faithfulness and it builds our
faith.
Devotion and alertness are key when we pray. We must pray often, and we must keep our
prayers alive and effective with thanksgiving.
Prayer is not an option.
It’s a privilege and it’s worth every word spoken to the God of the
universe who cares about every need of his creation.
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