Praise and Pray


Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.  Psalm 118:29

You do not have because you do not ask. James 4:2b

My dear friend Bella and I were talking about gratitude, about having a grateful attitude and I told her that for years I have kept a gratitude journal. I explained how and why I do it and she adopted the idea for herself.
The other day we were talking about it and she told me how much she has learned from it. Then she made a point that has stayed with me and I hope will continue with me for a long while.
She said that she also keeps a prayer request journal. While I don’t do that as frequently or specifically as I do the thanksgivings I certainly have a few places where my requests or pleas are written down.

Bella pointed out how much easier it is for her to write those requests than the thanks. That surprised me as she is easily the most gracious and truly appreciative person I know. But as we talked I knew exactly what she meant.

We see so easily what we don’t have or the challenges in front of us. We see them so easily that often they obscure our view of the blessings. We can’t see the forest for the trees, as the saying goes.
As we walked down the hall together, both walking, no wheelchairs, canes or other aids necessary, we spoke easily, no trouble breathing and we both acknowledge how many, many blessings we take for granted.

God invites us to ask, (James 4:2, see also Matthew 7:7) and he encourages us to give thanks. (Psalm 118:29, Thessalonians 5:18 and a host of other Scriptures) He wants us to bring our every need to Him but He also wants us to see what He is already doing in our lives.
Walking with Bella another thought occurred to me. In dealing with people, I have a huge problem with asking for help. I have no problem being the helper but I loathe asking for help. On the other hand, I am pretty grateful. I am aware of the blessings given to me by the people around me and through God’s grace, I’m quick to thank them and show appreciation for them.

Far from feeling condemned by that I realized that my Father has given me the gift of gratitude, toward others and more and more toward Him. Like Bella, I want to see my gratitude journal grow and my request page shrink but that’s a human reaction. God just covets our prayers, our need for Him. Whether we are praising and thanking or asking and seeking He is available and so happy to speak with us.

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