“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with Thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2 (ESV)
“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and showed them never to give up.” Luke 18:1 (NLT) While the story Jesus tells is an example of praying for a constant need, Paul speaks of praying with Thanksgiving. To many times we go to God with our troubles and look to him as our “fix it guy” rather than just giving praise and showing gratitude for just how Awesome He is and for all the blessings He has given. After all, nothing that is came to be without Him. Ephesians 6:18 reads, “Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.”
How much more do you think God would hear the songs of our heart, and that is what our prayers should be, since He Loves us so much. We should pray for the blessing that have been given to ALL who come to Him in Love. We should be giving thanksgiving that we have so many friends in Christ. As God has chosen that we should be called the Children of the Most High, given a place among the select, we are to rejoice that we have so many brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to pray at every opportunity for those who share in God’s Love as we do, regardless of the Church they worship in.
Our prayers should also be that God will make it clear, precise and valuing the knowledge of His Word. We should rejoice that we are given the Wisdom of God in the understanding of the Word. We should pray that our lives be a token of thanksgiving in the sharing of the Good News that Jesus welcomed us into the Heavenly Kingdom while we are still in this temporal place. We are to give thanksgiving that we can impart to others as Christ has em parted His Love on us. Let our prayer be that we can share the mystery of His Love, His Truth and the Way of God’s Love, and let us do it with wisdom, compassion and with great care.
As Paul asks for prayers for himself while he was in prison, he asks for a clear and calm voice that he may answer each person as God would have him. On every occasion, we should be praying that we speak with the Grace of the Father, the humanness of Jesus and the Comfort of the Divine Spirit. Let no hash words come from us, less any man speak of unrighteousness about us. In these times of Political strife and conflict, I hear words coming from the mouths of my Christian friends that would shame the Devil. Each day, I give thanks to God for my voice and [pray that nothing uttered from it offends another. Let our conversations with each other be no different than our prayers to God.
In this way, we can be a door to the Salvation Message of Christ and our words will be godly in intent. So with every fiber of our being, let us give thanksgiving to a God with whom we can call upon in prayer. Thanks be to God for being so Loving that He though it nothing to come and take the form of a man so that we could be reconciled to His Mercy.
