Trust Me by relinquishing control into My hands. Let go, and recognize that I am God. This is my world; I made it and I control it. Yours is a responsive part in the litany of love. I search among my children for receptivity to Me. Guard well this gift that I have planted in your heart. Nurture it with the Light of My Presence.
When you bring Me prayer requests, lay out your concerns before Me. Speak to Me candidly; pour out your heart. Then thank Me for the answers that I have sent into motion long before you can discern results. When your requests come to mind again, continue to thank Me for the answers that are on the way. If you keep on stating your concerns to Me, you will live in a state of tension. When you thank Me for how I am answering your prayers, your mind-set becomes much more positive. Thankful prayers keep your focus on My Presence and My promises.
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No matter how feebly we begin to thank God, no matter whether we feel like hypocrites for thanking Him when we feel hopeless and helpless, it is the beginning of faith, of confidence that He has heard us and even before we began to pray, has set in motion the answer.
I remember once heading into my office from the parking lot. When I left my car, I was bowed down in desperation over a situation that I did not know how to handle. "O God," I cried, "What can I do?"
Immediately, I heard an answer: You can thank Me! "Okay," I said, with absolutely no confidence or enthusiasm, "I praise you for...."
No, came the reply, Thank Me!
At that moment, it was as if a door in my brain opened, and I suddenly understood the difference:
We praise people for qualities they possess, but we thank them for specific acts they have done on our behalf. It is one thing to say to someone, "You are so smart!" That's praise. But it is another thing to say, "Thanks for helping me with this math homework!" That's different.
So, in less than one minute, I tentatively began to thank God for very specific things He had done for me and given to me. By the time I reached my office, I was almost singing. My problem was still there, but I felt so much different about it.
Thanksgiving is faith -- faith in what has been already given, and faith in what is yet to come!
We thank others, it is a way to thank The Holy Spirit working through them.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gayle I never thought of it that way. I will have to put faith in action.
ReplyDelete