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Thankful in Prayer

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.  Colossians 4:2

Prayer isn't just asking God for something we want. Prayer should also include confession of our sin and praise to God for who He is and what He has done for us.

But prayer should have an additional element, and that is thanksgiving. Repeatedly the Bible commands us to give thanks. The psalmist said, "oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (107:1). Jesus only distributed the bread He had miraculously provided for the crowds after "he had given thanks" (Matthew 15:36). At the Last Supper with His disciples, before facing the horror of the cross, Jesus "gave thanks" (Luke 22:17, 19).

It's easy to be thankful when God blesses us with something good--a swift recovery from an illness, for example, or an advancement at work. But the Bible says, "in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Thankfulness drives away a sour or prideful spirit. Make it part of your prayers every day.

From, HOPE for Each Day: Morning & Evening Devotions, by Billy Graham.