It’s so easy to make our prayer times purely times for asking. Jesus encourages us to ask, especially in His name, and so asking is important. But what about the other types of prayer?
In the story of the Ten Lepers in Luke 17 we hear of how ten men suffering from this dreadful disease of leprosy are healed by Jesus. Ten are healed…but only one turns back to say “Thank you”. How often do you remember to say” thank you” to God? It should surely be part of our everyday life, not something that only waits for a formal prayer time. We’re told by Paul to “…pray at all times in the Spirit…” surely that includes having a thankful heart, ready to thank God whenever we see something which gives us joy or whenever we feel gratitude for something He has done or is doing. Some time ago Merlin Carrothers wrote a book encouraging us to praise God at all times, whatever was or is happening to us. Certainly, praise should be a huge part of our prayer life, but it needs to be tied closely to thanks.
So, a challenge for today and every day…. Start looking out for the good things, the blessings we are surrounded with. Look out for signs of the Kingdom budding here on earth. And when we see something which reminds us of that Kingdom, or which makes us feel joy, which makes us feel relieved in some way, which makes us feel grateful to God, in which we see an answer to faithful prayer, when that happens just simply say “Thank you God.” Grab that opportunity for thanks and praise. It is a strange discipline and surprisingly difficult to become used to – we’re so used to looking for the bad and wallowing in the sadness’s of life it is often hard to see anyway God can even want to be in some situations. Your life can be changed, and you may even find a healing, in simply saying “Thank you.”
Prayer: Give to me the eyes to see your Kingdom coming into this world. Give me a heart of thankfulness and praise. Make me an encourager to all, sharing this Kingdom thankfulness and becoming a messenger of your hope. In Jesus’ name. Amen