A Prayer When Feeling Overwhelmed with Gratitude
By Emma Danzey
Bible Reading
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4
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Have you recently been overcome by gratitude and joy that the Lord has provided or answered your long-awaited prayers with a yes? We trust in our sovereign Lord no matter what happens; he is still unchanging and loves us. However, there are sweet seasons of life when we are overwhelmed with gratitude. We can rejoice in the times when He has answered our prayers with a yes, delivered us from fear, and poured out His provisions upon us.
Whether you are just getting more in the habit of practicing daily thankfulness or a specific experience has propelled you into celebration, we are going to worship God together in prayer today for the gift that is gratitude. We often neglect to remember the little things matter. We can be blinded to our blessings each day if we do not take time to thank God and remember them. Life can often be a comparison game full of selfishness and greed, however in Christ, we have great joy in His gift of salvation, our daily needs, and the relationships and provisions around us.
Gratitude is seen throughout the Bible. We see people practice thankfulness in times of celebration and victory (Psalm 100:4-5, 1 Corinthians 15:57, James 1:17) as well as times of hardship and pain (Psalm 106:47, Romans 5:3-5, James 1:1-4). We are told in times of anxiety to be grateful (Philippians 4:6-7). Gratitude is both a practice and a weapon against living a life of defeat.
Thankfulness by the Spirit is a tool that we can use to fight back against the enemy but also to worship and give glory to our great God. There is no need to feel guilty if there are things in your life right now that you are celebrating: a new marriage, a healthy pregnancy, a good doctor report, a family reunion, the salvation of a loved one, etc. Jesus is celebrating with you! It is beneficial when we take our feelings of great thanksgiving and direct them to the Lord. He is worthy of all glory, and He is the Father who gives us every good gift.
Let's Pray:
Dear Generous Father,
We thank you so much for the feelings of overwhelming gratitude. We have so much to be thankful for right now in our lives. We are abundantly blessed by Your grace, goodness, and kindness to us. We praise you for every spiritual blessing that You have promised us in Christ. Thank you for salvation and hope in Jesus. We thank you for the gift of the Bible as Your Holy and perfect Word to us. We praise you that we are given relationship and security in You and that you are never changing and always faithful. We praise You that You call us Your own. Father, we praise you for the good gift of relationships in our lives. Thank You for family, friends, community, and people around us in the mundane. We are so excited to be able to do life with others and encourage one another in You. Lord, we praise You that you would give us spiritual gifts to bless the family of believers. We glorify You for creating us with a purpose and for a particular part of Your kingdom plan.
Forgive us for times in our lives when we have neglected gratitude and fell into temptation to be apathetic, negative, or ungrateful. Thank you for this current time of overwhelming thankfulness. We praise You for the beauty around us and for the shelter You provide. We thank You for the food and water that we receive each day to nourish our bodies. We praise You for the technology to help us stay in touch with loved ones who are far. We worship You for the weather seasons that reveal Your nature and Your creativity. We thank You for the smallest blessings that You have gifted us with in our homes and in the mundane. We thank You for getting us through the valleys and carrying us when we have fallen. We celebrate that we are Your children and co-heirs with Christ. Thank You for transforming us from old to new.
We love you and praise You Jesus. Amen.
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