Keeping Alert With An Attitude Of Thanksgiving

Today’s Word Of Encouragement From Wayne:

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving”

Colossians 4:2

Entering God’s presence “with an attitude of thanksgiving” will always keep you alert. Alert to what, you may ask? Alert to God, to His presence, His power, His provision, and above all, to His magnificent Person.

Without thanksgiving, without being alert to what is really happening, one’s prayer life could easily devolve into a self-aware expression of worry and doubt.

Genuine thanksgiving is always and only about our gracious God.

While some people’s style may be to emphasize, “here I AM to pray and praise you” (unknowingly encouraging more self centeredness), the more alert style would be to say, “LORD here YOU are and I praise YOU and make my requests known to YOU with joy in YOUR presence.”

You see, it’s really not about us, as if we were still separate beings from God. It is truly all about our God, and our relationship with our God, being one with Him, as His beloved children, new creations in Jesus Christ, a kingdom of priests to our God, entering His presence with joy, because He is alive, and inside, and reigning in our hearts.

It just like the chorus I used to sing years ago that said, “Let’s forget about ourselves and magnify our Lord and worship Him.”

When you pray and worship, I encourage you to move away from the “here I am” way of thinking and instead step up to a even greater alertness with a distinct and profound “Here YOU are to worship O Lord,” understanding and faith.

Your prayer life will gain greater devotion, consistency, focus, clarity, joy, and power when you allow yourself the blessing of “keeping alert in it (to Him) with an attitude of thanksgiving.”

Thanksgiving is our new response, from our new creation, because we have been “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). We now have a life in the Spirit and this is a life of thankfulness to our God. Yes let us always keep alert to our Lord and His presence with “an attitude of thanksgiving.”

Beloved priest of God, I encourage you to cultivate this attitude of gratitude. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving” (Psalm 100:4) pro-actively and realize that praise and thanksgiving always keep you alert, and lifted up, and aware of your God’s presence, love, and His gracious power to answer your prayers. Yes, make your requests known to Him today with “an attitude of thanksgiving.”

Hallelujah!