Thanksgiving in Prayers

            Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing. (Ps 107:22)

We pray to praise, to give thanks, to communicate, to ask questions, to petition, to confess and repent to the Lord, and also to make intercession for the church, the nation, and other people.

Thanksgiving is a recognition that everything comes as a gift even though we are unworthy to receive it. It is also an expression of acknowledging God for his goodness and mercy. Supplication is to request. 

Thanksgiving and supplication in our prayers are like the two wings which can carry us up to spiritual heights. Some may have one strong wing of supplication but the wing of thanksgiving is weak. This is not sufficient when the cloud is dark and it seems that there is no way out. We need two strong wings so that we can fly high and break through the dark cloud to reach out to the heavenly Father. Thanksgiving for past blessings is good preparation for successful supplications. When we give thanks, we think upon God’s love and mercy towards us, and we have courage to trust in Him for more grace.  

            Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.(Ps 103:2)

We have plenty of things to praise God: His love, forgiveness, salvation, kindness, mercy, compassion, justice, patience. We receive all of these even though we do not deserve to have any of them. When we offer our thanksgiving prayer for past grace, then we will be filled with hope for the future. No matter how difficult your life’s journey is, you can always receive God’s grace and count your blessings — past, present, and future.

We can not comprehend God’s love until we learn to give thanks and praise Him. The saddest thing in this world is to be deeply loved by Jesus Christ, yet not realizing His love and complaining much. Once we try to add thanksgiving into our prayer, the strength of Christ pours into our heart. Through thanksgiving, we walk out from our difficulties by remembering we’re blessed, thereby rising above our current situation… and we let Jesus Christ walk in. We often learn to cherish only after we suffer from loss.

 

            Question for Reflection:

Think and reflect, what great things have the Lord done for you?