Day 24: A Thankful Heart

Colossians 4:2-- Devote yourself to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

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Anytime we pray, it is a good thing.  There is no 'bad' prayer.  God likes it when we take time from our day to speak to Him.

When do we pray?

Sometimes we pray in the car, in the shower, at the hospital, at school, whenever we see a friend request it on facebook, before we go to bed-- when we wake up.  The point being, we all pray at different times throughout the day.

How do we pray?

When we pray, we need to have a thankful heart.... even if we don't feel thankful at first. I know that a lot of times, what we pray for isn't positive (for example a sick relative or a hurting marriage), and we may not feel like' thanking' anyone.

It's times like that, though, when we DO need to focus on what we DO have.  You could start you prayer by saying, "Thank you, God, for allowing me to take up this morning." (because quite frankly He didn't have too. It's by His grace alone that we do.).  Or "Thank you for the doctors helping my sick father."

God is blessing us right and left and sometimes we don't even see it.  When we pray, we need to make sure to take a few moments to reflect and thank Him for it.

Be devoted to prayers.  If you pray for something, and it hasn't came in 'your' time, keep at it. Keep a prayer journal.  Write down your prayers: your desires, your burdens, your fears, people who need uplifting.  When the prayer is answered, write the date and a big ole 'Thank you, Jesus!".  It might take years for an answered prayer, or it might not be answered in a way we quite want/expect.  But the Bible says to be devoted to prayers.  Even when we want to give up.

And I know how easy it is to want to give up. 

Pray with an alert mind. Know what are you saying.  Don't just repeat the same prayer over and over.  While it's good that you are praying, you need to know what you are praying for.  Understand the words you are saying...

God loves us to talk to Him!  Devote yourself to your prayers (even when you don't want to, or even when you don't know how to start off).  It really does make a difference.

God Bless You!

Kelly