Pray and Give Thanks

You wake up. 

You open your eyes. 

You take a deep breath. 

You move your body so that you are sitting on the side of the bed. 

You see the sun rise that is causing beautiful colors in the sky. 

And then...

You stop and say, 

"Good morning, Father. Thank you."

I have to admit that I do not always remember to do that. It seems that there are a few mornings out of my week, that are occupied by someone else. Then, I will sit down to breakfast and while I am saying my thanks for the food, I will try to say the thanks for waking me up, and so on. However, here again, I have a few mornings each week that are occupied by someone else.

This week's prayers are here to help in your efforts to give thanks. Giving the Lord thanks for all that He does is a great way to start your day.

First, let's refresh our memories on the when, the where and the what to pray. 

The When, Where, and What

God is not concerned with what time of day it is. He is more concerned about having a relationship with you. So open your mouth and share your concerns. 

If you like the idea, and you have the space, create a prayer closet for yourself. If you do not have that kind of space, do not worry, you can pray wherever you are. You can walk outside and pray. You can walk your neighborhood and pray. You can pray while you are in your car driving to drop off or pick up the kids. God is not concerned with the where as long as you find time to focus on Him.

If you have an urgent need, open your mouth and talk to God. He is there listening to you as you pray. Remember, conversations are two way, so take time to listen to what He has to say in return.

Hold Tightly To the Lord 

This week has been about being grateful and thankful. Giving thanks for everything and giving thanks no matter what situation you may be facing. So when the dog climbs on your chest, in the middle of the night, and just sits there... give thanks to the Lord that He has brought such a blessing into your life :). When the bottom falls out from underneath you, hold on tightly to the Lord, and thank Him for being Your strength, your rock, your fortress (Ps. 18:1-2).

I have taken a few of the verses, that I listed earlier in the week, and have written out prayers to go with them. Below that, close to the bottom, I compiled all of the prayers into one prayer. 

And Give Him Thanks 

 James 1:17 ESV 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 

Prayer:

Thank You for every good and perfect gift. I know that they come from You, the Father of Lights.

2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV 

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Prayer:

Father,  I give thanks to You for Your indescribable gift to me!

John 3:16 ESV 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for loving me so much that You sent Your only Son to save me and give me eternal life.

Ephesians 2:8 NLT

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

Prayer:

Father, once I believed in You, I was saved by Your grace. Thank You for this gift.

~~ The next prayer is just a rearranged compilation of the prayers listed above. Just wanted you to see that you can pray your verses by themselves, but you can also put them together. ~~

Compilation Prayer:

Father, thank You for loving me so much that You sent Your only Son to save me and give me eternal life. Once I believed in You, I was saved by Your grace. I give thanks to You for Your indescribable gift to me! Thank You for every good and perfect gift. I know that they come from You, the Father of Lights. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

Blessings, 

Leigha 

Photo credit: Zandria Ross from Pixabay