Thoughts: Prayer is to be accompanied with thanksgiving. Why? God tells us to be thankful for our own good but also for the ultimate good- the glory of God. We are made to glorify and enjoy God. Giving credit, giving honor to God is part of what thankfulness to God involves.
Watchfulness is also to be accompanied with thanksgiving. For an impatient person (like me) this is hard to imagine. When I think of watchfulness, I think of a soldier on guard in a watchtower waiting for the sun to come up and seeking to guard the people. So how does someone who is on the alert thankful at the same time? Watching soldiers are grateful for their loved ones, their home, their king, their people, their blessings. These things motivate them to be disciplined, alert, careful, and caring about their watch. They are guarding these things against enemies and things that would destroy them. If we are not grateful for our faith, for our God, for our true home, for our church, then we will have a hard time guarding these things. If we are not grateful and thankful about what we have then we will lose heart when the tough time comes.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be thankful in the midst of my prayers and in the midst of my waiting for your love.
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