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The prayer of thanksgiving is important and mentioned in the Bible in any number of passages as a gateway to getting prayers answered. As far as what to be thankful for, and the ways of thanksgiving the invitation seems to be open ended. The way to thanksgiving may be partially blocked by the way it is approached in prayer and thanksgiving in some ways is not as established as it could be. Bigger problems tend to freeze one’s thinking, even in prayer. A big health problem, financial problem seems harder to contend with than the smaller problems, making it harder to go into God’s vision in prayer and faith. This is not to say that there isn’t plenty of room for thanksgiving on the metaphorical sunny day, but the call to thanksgiving doesn’t talk about exceptions in the Bible. In Thessalonians it says, in every thing give thanks for this is the Lord’s will concerning you. The call to thanksgiving is comprehensive. There is plenty that can be established in thanksgiving that tends to be skipped over and just not stated. The major thing is that thanksgiving is done in small ways which is fine, expect that great truths are not established in individual thanksgivings in prayer for any number of reasons including that is just isn’t thought of to go there, and it is just taken for granted, but it really does need to be established and stated in the prayer of thanksgiving. In any number of places in the Bible, there are references to the big things of God. Yet in the prayer of thanksgiving, these big things and mighty works tend to be overlooked and someone skips right into their personal concerns and issues, without also establishing some amazing truths that we can’t understand fully yet we can recognize enough to go to the place of thanksgiving for them. The day itself is a great open expanse that wouldn’t exist unless the Lord created it yet how many people would start the day thanking the Lord that he willed this day into existence. It may be a case also of backtracking a bit, and going back to some of the great truths of what we can know in establishing thanksgiving in prayer. One of the places that we can go in prayer, and places that can be visited in prayer is the very greatness of the Lord and his acts. So for example, someone might have a particular medical problem and pray the prayer of thanksgiving in advance for the healing help of the Lord. But what could be done also, in saying a prayer, along the lines of thanking the Lord as healer in all days and throughout all times and all the earth, truths that can be established in the prayer of thanksgiving. The Lord’s works are of a global and universal scope, and it is easy to forget that sometimes rather than revisiting this in prayer. I’m sure in the time of Moses, there were any number of small favors from the Lord, but the story shows that the Lord did not want his followers to forget the great works such as a parting of the Red Sea, and to remain thankful for that as the days proceeded beyond what had happened that day. So we don’t want to distance ourselves from greater thanksgivings at any point going forward. You can stop and thank God for the wonder of the universe, even while looking for a parking spot or the latest copy of the newspaper. Just as in the Bible, where in any number of places it goes big, we should go big with our thanksgivings. Another example would be financial problems which can of course be burdensome. You can thank God in advance for financial help and guidance, but also bring in and establish great truths found in the Bible such as when it mentions in the book of psalms that the Lord owns the thousands of cattle on the hill, meaning ultimately all ownership is his no matter what piece of the pie anyone wishes to grab at. These great thanksgivings, which can be approached creatively, can be done free and clear of any personal concerns and then personal concerns can also be considered in other prayers of thanksgiving or related in. So you could say, thank you Lord for the awesomeness of the sun and for giving me directions to where I am going today, or to helping me find what I am shopping for today. Thanksgiving involves a relinquishment, to great truths, and this relinquishment, involves the relinquishment of fear. The scouts with Caleb, were fearful of the giants in the land. But the backdrop to this, is that these scouts had ceased to be thankful towards the Lord for his great works and what filled in was improper fear. On the surface, this would have seemed to have been a proper fear but this fear, which held them back, would not have been there had they been thankful and cultivated and continued to establish thanksgiving. In truth, in this case, the fear of the giants was wrong and would not have been there had they otherwise been thankful. The lack of thanksgiving was cited in the Bible as the key reason why things went wrong for them. In Philippians, Chapter 4 it says, “ Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests to make known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Fear can litter our personal landscape and can even blanket personal terrains, These words from Philippians again talk about thanksgiving in all things and everything, within the context of prayer requests and how peace will come in rather than fear. The everything mentioned here in prayer and thanksgiving can and should be the small, but larger things can be visited and established as well and should be not skipped over in prayer. There is also the call to thanksgiving in the not the best of times. In Habakkuk chapter 3 verse 17 thru 19 it says,” “ Though the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines, though there are no sheep in the pen, and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength, he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go to the heights. In these verses, it is the sovereignty of the Lord that is referred to, and how the Lord is the enabler and this is the truth despite the direness of the surrounding circumstances. Even from the greatest of troubles, the Lrod can take someone to the heights. That sovereignty can be referred to is greater thanksgivings, and thanksgiving is available even from positions that seemingly do not warrant thanksgiving such as the case of this prophet and his unfortunate circumstances of utter lack. His thanksgivings preceded the strength that the Lord subsequently gave him. Also in these verses is the idea of swiftness, how fast things can change in the Lord’s presence, as the prophets feet are now like those of the deer from the enabling power of the Lord for him.
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