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Giving thanks awakens your senses to see God, to hear God, to taste and see that He is good.
When you feel far from God, praise will bring you back.
When you have strayed from acknowledging God’s presence, when you have forgotten in him we live and move and have our being, praise and gratitude will be the ramp to get you back on the right road.
I shudder at the words of Romans chapter one. “They neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened,” Romans 1:21.
They did not glorify Him. They did not give thanks to Him. “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts…” Romans 1:24. The light of their eyes went dark.
Praise keeps you alert to the glimpses of glory all around.
The more you glorify God with praise and thanksgiving, the more your eyes will be opened to the deep well of His love that is but a bowshot away Genesis 21:19.
God inhabits the praises of His people Psalm 22:3 KJV.
He feels right at home in a heart that praises Him. He enjoys being there!
I believe gratitude grows with practice. When you thank God, regardless of your feelings, it primes the pump of your heart until gratitude begins to flow freely.
If this is a language you have not spoken often, you can become fluent…with practice.
Paul wrote, “I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything” Philippians 4:11-12 NLT.
As with any foreign language we attempt to learn, the more we use it, the more fluent we become.
Is it too strong to say that the language of gratitude is a 'foreign' tongue? I don’t think so.
We come into the world screaming with our very first breath, 'It’s all about me and my needs!' With tightly closed fists and squeezed shut eyes we demand attention.
A newborn babe can think of nothing more than his wants and his needs: feed me, hold me, change me, nurse me…and do it right now! I would like to think we eventually grow out of that infantile attitude, but I’m sorry to say, many never do.
But we don’t have to live like self-centered, self-absorbed ingrates. We can learn God’s love language of gratitude that opens our eyes and unfurls the fingers.
We can speak words of gratitude that remove the blinders to see glimpses of His glory every day.
As we discover and practice the beautiful language of gratitude, our native tongue of self-focused dissatisfaction begins to fade.
And we practice. And we practice. And we practice.
Let’s Pray
Lord, my desire is to be a grateful person in 2013. Please convict me when I am ungrateful. Help me to stop the grumbling and start the words of gratitude. Help me make gratitude my native tongue.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
"God inhabits the praises of His people." Psalm 22:3 KJV
Seeing God through the lens of gratitude and grace is one of the themes of my book, A Sudden Glory: God’s Lavish Response to Your Ache for Something More.
It’s a great book to help you experience God’s presence on a daily basis. But if you have trouble with grumbling, complaining, and controlling your tongue, I’d suggest delving into my book, The Power of a Woman’s Words.
What a great New Year’s Resolution: CONTROL MY TONGUE! You can find them both on my website at www.sharonjaynes.com
Let's pray: Father, help me speak words of gratitude so I can remove the blinders to see glimpses of Your glory every day. Amen
My personal prayer note: You may find that no two days’ prayer time will be the
same. God is creative…
Today’s quote: Joyce Meyers: "Satan tries to stop us from doing God's will."
Our thought for today: When we realize that everything that happens to us will cause us some good, we can relax and trust God is in control.
Tomorrow’s post: Be on the Alert: Prayer Note #113 Dutch Sheets
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