Pray with a Thankful Heart
Our Scripture for today is Philippians 4:6:
“In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
“In every situation?” It’s easy to pray when times are hard, but this verse asks us to pray *with thanksgiving* in every circumstance. Does God really expect us to give thanks when life falls apart? When we wake up in a hospital bed or see bills piling up, can we be thankful even then?
Consider the story of Daniel in Daniel 6:10. Daniel’s enemies conspired to have him executed. A law was passed that anyone caught praying to anyone other than the king would be thrown into a lion’s den. How did Daniel respond?
“When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”
Even under the shadow of the lion’s den, Daniel not only prayed but gave thanks to God! He was arrested and thrown into the lions’ den, but God delivered him.
How can we be thankful in such trials? Here is the secret: Gratitude in hard times becomes possible when we shift our focus from the pain of our circumstances to the unchanging nature of God. Thankfulness doesn’t deny our struggles; instead, it acknowledges that God is present, faithful, and working for our good, even when life is difficult.
I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.