“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Have you ever thought about how sometimes when life is difficult and the storms have come, that we seem to get closer to God and remember to pray through the storm, but when things smooth out, we sometimes forget to rejoice, give thanks, and pray continually? Why is that?
I think a lot has to do with our habits. Many of us get so busy when things are going well that it is easy to not make God a priority. We may not remember to thank Him for the small things like hitting every green light on the way to work in the morning or we may not continue to rejoice because we lose God in the busy-ness of our lives. There’s an old saying that we should stop and smell the roses, but maybe that is all wrong. Maybe we need to stop and thank God for the roses and gift of smell we have. When we see the beautiful sunset, we should remember to praise God for his magnificent Earth and our ability to see it. If we try to make a habit of following these verses in 1 Thessalonians, I wonder how our world would change.
Many people practice being purposefully thankful during the month of November. I challenge you to be purposefully thankful every day of the year. I keep a journal and whenever I see something in a magazine that makes me smile or reminds me of something for which to be grateful, whether it is a picture, a word, a color, or a quote, I cut it out and glue it into my journal or make a note of it. This way I have a constant reminder to praise Him in the good times
Every single thing good in our lives comes from our loving heavenly Father. When we look for tiny treasures everywhere we will truly find them and at the end of the day we will see how blessed we really are. This helps us remember to be prayerful, rejoicing, and thankful as we walk this life journey. Remember the words to the old hymn Blessed Assurance as you develop your new habit of always rejoicing, always prayerful, and always giving thanks, especially when everything is going well.
This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest; watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
Prepare to Pray!
If you have younger children, you will want to choose one or two verses for them to learn to pray. Think about something that happened today and have your child thank the Lord. It can be a good thing, or a seemingly bad event. In any case, we should be thankful no matter what. If you have photos on your phone from the event or can find some in magazines or online, consider printing them out and creating a Thankful Journal.
Do you have older children? Have them read through the following verses and choose one or two.
Click on the image below to print FREE PRAYER CARDS. Choose the age-appropriate printable for your children and print on card stock.
Grab a pen and write down the chosen verses, or have your child write them down.
Verses to Help Us Pray Prayers of Thanksgiving:
Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. ~ 1 Chronicles 16:8
I shall wash my hands in innocence, And I will go about Your altar, O Lord, That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving And declare all Your wonders. ~ Psalm 26:6-7
“He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.” ~ Psalm 50:23
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. ~ Psalm 95:2
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. ~ Psalm 118:1
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ~ Philippians 4:6
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; ~ Colossians 4:2
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, ~ 1 Timothy 2:1
“Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” ~ Revelation 7:12
Now Pray!
Encourage your children to not just read the words, but to pray them.
Click on the image below for all of the articles in this series.
{All of these verses link to BibleGateway. If you would rather choose a different version of the scriptures, then click the link and choose the version you want.}
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Miss Bobbie is known for creating fun adventures wherever she goes. She is a teacher, a student, a mom, an entrepreneur, and someone you really want to know.
