Gratitude is about more than just knowing what to be thankful for. A true sense of thanksgiving should necessarily affect our behavior. In the previous article, we saw how gratitude is essential if we are to “offer to God an acceptable service” (Hebrews 12:28). As we will notice in this article, it must also be the foundation of our practice of prayer. Remember what Paul wrote:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
As we pray to God, if we want it to benefit us, we must pray “with thanksgiving.” Let us consider a few points.
Prayer Is to Be a Regular Practice
Paul instructed the brethren in Thessalonica to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This does not mean that Christians should pray every waking moment – that would not be possible. Instead, we are to pray consistently and be ready to approach God in prayer at any time.
Jesus taught us how to pray when He gave the model prayer, sometimes called “the Lord’s prayer”:
“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen’” (Matthew 6:9-13).
In this example He gave to His disciples, prayer included praising God and making petitions about physical and spiritual needs.
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane shortly before His betrayal and crucifixion, He showed an example of praying during times of distress (Matthew 26:36-38). He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). He repeated this three times (Matthew 26:44). He showed that even in the face of incredible hardships, we are to pray for God’s will to be done. The apostle John explained that it would be: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (1 John 5:14-15). As we make prayer a regular practice, regardless of the outcome of the circumstances about which we are praying, we will find our will increasingly becoming conformed to God’s will.
How Gratitude Affects This
In the verse we noticed at the beginning, we are to pray “with thanksgiving” to receive the benefits that are available through prayer (Philippians 4:6-7). There are a few reasons why this is the case.
- Praying with thanksgiving recognizes God as our creator and provider. This was why the psalmist called upon God’s people to praise Him: “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:1-3). In addressing God, he said, “You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; the stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth” (Psalm 65:9). Immediately after the flood, God promised Noah that He would continue to provide for mankind from generation to generation as long as “the earth remains” (Genesis 8:22). He continues to fulfill this promise for us.
- Praying with thanksgiving acknowledges the many ways God has blessed us. James explained that “every good thing and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17). The blessings He bestows on us are “too numerous to count” (Psalm 40:5).
- Praying with thanksgiving allows us to have “the peace of God” (Philippians 4:6-7). Recognizing all of the ways that God has blessed us in the past allows us to trust in Him and know that He will continue to bless us and keep His promises. The Hebrew writer said, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5). We can be content knowing that God is with us.
What Happens When We Lack Gratitude
What if we offer prayers to God, even doing so regularly, but fail to pray “with thanksgiving”? What will happen?
- We will begin to see God not as a benevolent king but an unreliable servant. During the time of Isaiah, God’s people believed that God had “forsaken” and “forgotten” them, but this was because they ignored the blessings that proved He was “continually” with them (Isaiah 49:14-16). Paul warned Timothy that false teachers may try to convince Christians that “godliness is a means of gain” (1 Timothy 6:3-5). If we are deceived into embracing this false hope, we may start to doubt the goodness or power of God when we do not receive the material things we hope for. Then, if we begin to think we cannot trust Him to bless us, we will be tempted to turn away from Him entirely.
- We will focus on all the things we do not have instead of what we do. In the parable of the prodigal son, the older brother was upset when his younger brother was welcomed home. He was resentful that he had never received a feast in his honor, but he ignored the fact that all that his father had was his (Luke 15:27-31). Our “inheritance…in heaven” is greater than anything in this life (1 Peter 1:4). Yet Satan wants us to focus on what we do not have and resent God because of it.
- We will become anxious over things because we do not trust God’s will. When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, he was courageous enough to leave the boat and walk toward Him when he was invited to do so (Matthew 14:22-29). This was an amazing display of faith! Yet when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on the storm, he began to sink (Matthew 14:30). Like Peter, we can easily take our eyes off the Lord and focus exclusively on the troubles around us. Yet Jesus told us to “not be worried about [our] life,” but instead to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:25, 33). The Lord said, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). But when we fail to cultivate gratitude, we will only see reasons to worry and not all of the reasons to trust in the Lord.
Prayer is important, but without gratitude, it will not do any good.
Conclusion
We need to have a regular practice of prayer, but we must pray “with thanksgiving” to benefit from it. Let us be thankful that God is our creator and provider. Instead of focusing on what we do not have, let us be mindful of all the ways God has blessed us. And let us be grateful to Him that we have everything we need when we follow Him.
