The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude (39 page)

It is important to develop an abundant mind-set—one that believes God will always provide whatever we need and is thankful in advance that He will do so.

All throughout Scripture, God promises to provide for His children. In fact, in the Old Testament, one of the Hebrew names of God is “Jehovah-Jireh,” which means
The Lord Our Provider.
You and I are God’s children. He is our Father, and He delights in providing for us just as natural parents delight in helping their children.

Clearly, all the resources of heaven and earth are at our heavenly Father’s disposal, so there is nothing we need that He cannot provide. He loves us and wants to take care of us. In fact, there is no one He would rather share His blessings with than His children. Start thanking God that everything you need is on its way to you right now!

Father, I am so thankful that You are Jehovah-Jireh. Regardless of how I feel or what my situation looks like, I will look to You and thank You in advance that You will provide for my every need in Your perfect timing.

Whatever may have happened to us in the past, it does not have to dictate our future. Regardless of what people may have tried to do to us, God can take it and turn it for good. Romans 8:28 (NIV) says, “In all things God works for the good of those who love him…”

In Genesis 37–50, Joseph’s brothers meant evil against him. They devised a plan to destroy him by selling him into slavery in Egypt. But in the end, Joseph became second in command to Pharaoh and was used by God to save many lives.

Whatever happens in your life, remember that God is on your side. He will build your life, your reputation, your family, and your career. Be thankful that He is with you, put your confidence in Him, and prepare to be amazed at how He can turn every situation around for His glory!

I am grateful, Father, that You can turn any and every situation in my life around for good. Help me today to focus on You rather than my past. And thank You that You can take even the most painful parts of life and fashion something beautiful from them.

Do you ever feel like an eagle in a chicken yard? You know in your heart that there is much more within you than you are experiencing and expressing in your life right now. You feel certain God has a great purpose for your life—and you cannot escape or ignore the inner urge to “go for it.”

I encourage you today to fan the flame inside you. Fan it until it burns brightly. Never give up on the greatness for which you were created, and never try to hide your uniqueness. Instead, be thankful for it, and be thankful that God has something special in store. Realize your hunger for adventure is God-given; wanting to try something new is a wonderful desire; and embracing life and aiming high is what you were made for. You are an eagle!

Father, thank You for the dreams and desires You have placed in my heart. Thank You that You have a destiny for me. Today, I will dare to dream of all the wonderful things You have in Your plan for my life.

The length of our prayers really makes no difference to God. All that matters is that we pray the way He is teaching us to pray and that our prayers are Spirit-led, heartfelt, thankful, and accompanied by faith. Throughout the Bible, there are incredibly brief, but powerful, prayers. Here are a few of them:

There will be times when you’ll pray longer prayers than others, but there is no correlation between how many minutes or hours we pray and whether God hears us. Just one word spoken to Him in faith from a sincere heart can reach His heart and move His hand.

Thank You, Father, that I can pray to You from my heart, no matter how long or short that prayer may be. I am grateful that I can just be myself when I’m with You.

If we aren’t careful, it is easy to lose sight of the greatness of God. We tend to think of Him and His abilities from our limited perspective. But we must never forget that when the Lord rises up, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (see Philippians 2:10–11).

We serve a great and mighty God, and we can be thankful that His greatness is at work in our lives. I encourage you to spend more time in worship and praise, and less time in planning and trying to tell God what He needs to do. Thank Him for His goodness and the fact that His power is at work in your life.

Father, help me to realize just how powerful and mighty You are. Thank You that no enemy can defeat You and nothing can stop Your work or Your plan in my life.