Being THANKFUL in all things—including COVID-19—is being tested this year more than any other time in memory. But God’s timeless call to pray with thankfulness–no matter what our circumstances may be–endures through everything:
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Always thanking God–including his hand to bring us through the COVID-19 pandemic–allows us to subordinate our earthly idols and bust the confidence we place in ourselves.
Here’s where I start those “thankfulness prayers”…
I am thankful for Jesus and what he did on the cross at Calvary for me—for all of us.
I am thankful for his faithful commitment to grab my hand and cradle my heart so I can hand things off to him knowing he understands everything about me and is in control.
I am thankful for my helplessness because it triggers God’s special power to propel me forward with new and unbridled confidence that is no longer natural but supernatural.
I am thankful for how God turns my sadness into joy and sustains me to withstand the sad moments that come and go on my journey.
God’s take on GRATITUDE has nothing to do with thanking him because we feel INDEBTED to him. He wants our GRATITUDE to be a SPONTANEOUS expression of Christ-like joy.
This is my THANKSGIVING PRAYER for 2020:
As the sun peeks over the golden-brown hillside and ushers in another glorious day, may our Lord God be working in the homes and on the streets and in the villages where precious souls right now are living without the love and hope of Jesus. May he be at work in the pandemic marching across the planet. May he heal those who are sick and strengthen the workers charged with their care. May he be a comfort to the afflicted and addicted and those in pain or confused about life. May he boost the spirits of his army of servants and prepare them to serve, for it is noble…for it is good…for it is a sacred responsibility.
I thank God for his precious gift of life for eternity…for his incredible protection promise no matter what circumstances swirl about our world…for his loving and unconditional hand on my life.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Are you putting every thought this week through God’s GRATITUDE FILTER?
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.” Psalm 100:4
