Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NLT
Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.” ~ Hebrews 13:15, AMP
“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” ~ Romans 8:26-28, MSG
The Lord is My Reason to Be Thankful
Father, where can I go from Your presence? If I find myself in the deepest, darkest valley of difficulty, You are there. You never leave me … You never forsake me. You are my reason to be thankful.
When I can’t praise You for my circumstances, I can always praise You for who You are. Praise and a thankful heart go hand in hand — there can’t be one without the other. Not really.
I know that a thankful heart is a beautiful offering to You, Lord, especially when life is hard. When I’m willing to praise You anyway and thank You for who You are, I am lifted high above the storm. My focus shifts to You, and my problems grow smaller in light of Your greatness.
And Your peace settles upon me.
Your peace is not the absence of chaos or the difficult places — Your shalom peace is having a sense of contentment and well-being in the middle of chaos, heartbreak, or anxiety-ridden stress. Your peace is a precious gift that is born of a thankful heart.
Your peace comes when I encounter You and that encounter occurs when I maintain a thankful heart and give You praise.
It all works together, doesn’t it?
I’m reminded that Your ways are not my ways, and Your thoughts are not my thoughts. It makes no sense for me to rejoice with thankfulness when the difficult place is consuming me. And yet — this will set me free from the destruction and lift me into Your presence where I am bathed in Your peace and darkness flees.
By faith, I believe this.
From experience, I know this.
With determination, I will do this, for this is the way You have made for Your children to endure the trials of this fallen world.
A Thankful Heart Breaks the Chains that Bind
I will give thanks with a grateful heart, Lord — I will praise You at all times for You alone are worthy of all praise.
In the Name of Jesus, I pray,
Amen ~ let it be so
********************************************
Please don’t carry your burdens alone. I would be honored to pray for you. You may contact me directly at nan@nanjones.com
********************************************
Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love for you to share what’s on your heart in the comments below. Scroll a little farther down and you’ll see where you can leave your comments. Together, we can find the nearness of God in our darkest moments.
Sweet blessings to you,
Thank you for the great encouragement you give to us to keep
Moving forward in Christ no matter what we are facing. Many blessings.
Bless your heart. Thank you for such kind words. You have blessed me 🙂