The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude (65 page)

It is vital to know what God’s Word says about His role in your life, because it confirms His divine plan to be intimately involved with all that concerns you. God’s Word says to acknowledge Him in all our ways and He will direct our paths (see Proverbs 3:6). To “acknowledge God” simply means to care what He thinks and to ask for His opinion.

Proverbs 3:7 says, “Be not wise in your own eyes.” In other words, don’t even think you can run your life and do a good job without God’s help and direction. But, thank God, He
does
give us His direction so that we can discover all that He has for us as we follow Him! We can simply trust His leading and do what He tells us to do.

Father, when I am faced with a circumstance where I’m not sure what to do, I pray that You will give me clear direction. I thank You that I can acknowledge You and lean on Your Word to find guidance no matter what situation I am faced with.

Praying our way through the day is equally as important as devoting set-apart time to prayer. I believe God wants us to offer up acknowledgments of Him, make requests, and offer thanksgivings throughout each day. Learn to let prayer be as comfortable as breathing.

Just think about how you would feel if your children said, “I love you, Mom!” or “I love you, Dad!” every time they walked by you. When one of my children stops by the house or my office and says, “Hey, Mom, you’re awesome! Just came by to tell you that,” it makes my day.

Just letting people know you think they’re great is the kind of communication that develops relationships. When we treat the Lord that way, our relationship with Him goes deeper and grows stronger, and we stay connected to Him through “anytime, anywhere” prayer. And He loves it.

I love You, Father, and I am thankful that You love me too. I want to take every opportunity to tell You how wonderful You are and how blessed I am. Thank You that I can come to You in prayer anytime, anywhere.

You may not feel like you’re amazing or awesome, but God says that you are. Psalm 139 says that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Studying how the human body functions reveals that we are truly amazing creations.

When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, something happens to you on the inside. Paul writes that “the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

You may not notice any difference when you look in the mirror; your behavior may not change overnight; your struggles may not suddenly disappear, but when you are “in Christ,” a gradual and patient work of transformation is under way in your life. God sees the end of things from the beginning, and He sees you complete in Him. He sees you, through Jesus Christ, as new and completely righteous.

Thank You, Father, that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Help me to see myself as You see me—righteous, complete, and dearly loved—through Christ!

Thanksgiving is not just a day to eat turkey and pumpkin pie, as we do in America. It was a day originally set aside to remember and give thanks to God for what He had done in protecting the first men and women who came to America, fleeing religious persecution in Europe. It was a type of harvest celebration like the one that the Jews celebrated; a day to give thanks for the crops they were able to harvest.

In addition to thanking God as we go through life, it is also a good idea to set aside special times of gratitude and giving thanks. Sometimes our family sits together and remembers where God has brought us from, and we thank Him for all He has done. Dave and I talk about our life when our children were all young and we lived in a tiny three-room apartment and had to cash in soda pop bottles to make it through until payday. I am sure you can recall times similar to those we had, and remembering them makes us thankful for how God brought us through them, and for all the progress we have made by His goodness.

Father, help me to realize that Thanksgiving is more than just a day on the calendar. I am grateful for all You have done in my life, not just today, but every day of the year.

God has blessed us with many things, and when our heart is right, we are thankful for each blessing. But we can do more than just be thankful. We can demonstrate that gratitude by deciding to use the blessings in our lives to be a blessing to others everywhere we go.

You can do this in big ways or in small ways, but doing it always blesses someone else. You’ll be amazed at the results. One way you can be a blessing is just by being friendly. Make a real effort to be friendly with people everywhere you go and show a genuine interest in them. Try to make shy people feel comfortable and confident. Try giving a kind word to encourage someone who seems to be down. There are countless ways we can be a blessing if we think about it creatively. Don’t let the sun set on any day without reaching out in some way to someone else.

Father, I am so thankful, not just for the countless blessings You have given me, but for the chance to share those blessings with others. I pray that You will show me new and creative ways to be friendly and encouraging to someone today.