This week I’d like for our discussion to be a little more reflective than usual, a little more devotional if you will.  What I’d like us to consider is how to thankfully pray.  We all know the old aphorism that “life is not about thanksgiving, it’s about thanksliving”.  That is we should not be giving thanks at specific times but our entire attitude, our entire way of life should reflect our thankfulness to God for the great gifts he has given us.  This was sort of the topic last week, that we should live, out of thankfulness to God, in such a way that others give thanks to God for what we have done.

But there are also times when specific, active thanks are in order.  No other time is more fitting to give thanks than when we are at prayer.  So the first question that comes to mind is when do we pray?  This is another one like the thanksliving thing.  Scripture is pretty clear that we are always to be prayerful.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray without ceasing”.  We are to pray in the ordinary moments of our lives as well as the extraordinary.  But some times are more focused than others, sometimes our internal dialog with  God is more overt, more intentional.  What then, how are we to pray with thanksgiving?

We’ll take as our first clue Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It starts with rejoicing.  If we are happy, ecstatic about the mere existence of someone, can it be said we are thankful?  I think so.  So be happily thankful that God exists and has made his presence and love known to us.  Be thankful that He is near.  We are to be thankful even in circumstances which might otherwise make us anxious because if we pray with thankfulness the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds.

What circumstances have you experienced that, despite your anxiousness, your thankfulness to God for what He was doing in your life allowed you to pray for your situation thankfully so that God guarded your heart and mind with His peace?  When I write it that way and re-read it, it does not even sound remotely possible.  But I know in my own life that God has carried me through situations that might have crushed me.  How could I react with anything but thanksgiving?  And yet….

We’ll also consider Colossians 4:2 a very short verse

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

We are to devote ourselves to prayer done in watchfulness and thanksgiving.   Webster Online gives two definitions to devote:

1.  to commit by a solemn act <devoted herself to serving God>

2.  to give over or direct (as time, money, or effort) to a cause, enterprise, or activity