“… always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5:20). “All around us is fuel for the fire of thanks if we will but notice.” ––Jon Bloom “It is one thing to be grateful. It’s another to give thanks. Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do.” ––Tim Keller. “The way of seeing our Father in everything makes life one long thanksgiving and gives a rest of heart, and, more than that, a gayety of spirit, that

“You who answer prayer, to you all people will come” (Ps 65:2). “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Mat 7:7-8). “Prayer is the exercise of drawing on the grace of God.” ––Oswald Chambers. O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God

Prayer is the enactment of grace. In prayer the soul is infused with refreshing mercy and grace, spurring us on towards fruitfulness through a Christ-honoring life. As we pray we connect with the divine and that vital connection renews us, experiencing joy and peace. Through prayer our soul lays hold of the grace of the cross which empowers us unto childlike faith and obedience. The apostle exhorts us to pray continually as a necessity. He gives us a command to be obeyed. O

As Jesus in prayer surrendered to the Father in his darkest hour of testing (Luke 22:42) so in submissive prayer we surrender our souls to the Almighty. In moments of our trials and testing, we acquiesce, wanting his will to be accomplished in our lives. We open our hearts to the One who is the anchor of our soul in times of difficulties and distress, knowing he will never leave us or forsake us (Heb 13:5). In prayer, we ask God to give us a heart of surrender, knowing that

In prayer we intercede for those in need of God’s intervention, caring for others more than ourselves—knowing the blessing of giving rather than receiving (Acts 20:35). The brokenness and need of others become our brokenness and need. We pray asking God to open the floodgates of heaven and pour out an abundant blessing upon their lives (Mal 3:10). In our weakness in prayer, not knowing how to properly pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes through us as he groans within us. He pra

In prayer we put on the whole armor of God to enter into the battle, seeing the light overcome the darkness (Eph 6:11). As we wrestle in prayer (Eph 6:12) yokes of spiritual darkness are broken and spiritually blind eyes are opened. Through prayer there is a longing to surrender to the crucified Christ and a willingness to join ourselves to his death and resurrection, finding grace to take up our cross and follow after him (Mat 16:24). In prayer we bow our hearts in surrende

Prayer is often silent listening rather than speaking, communing with God, in our secret place behind a closed door, waiting, wanting an eternal reward (Mat 6:6). Prayer is waiting in his presence with the purpose of enjoying his presence (Ps 16:11), wanting nothing but the Fountain of Life himself (Ps 36:9). In prayer we slow down the mind and soul, acknowledging our childlike dependency on the Almighty. It is a time of confession of the remaining brokenness within us and o

It is in prayer that we are reminded that we are pilgrims, that this world is not our home (Heb 11:13). Intimacy with our loving Heavenly Father makes us long for our heavenly home; to be with the One we love (1 John 4:19). We long to be with our blessed Redeemer who has gone before us to prepare a place for us (John 14:3). In prayer we find ourselves further abandoning the temporal and fixing our eyes on the eternal, wanting what is imperishable much more than what this per

As we pray we enter the promised land and every place our spiritual feet tread we lay hold of all the promises of God (Joshua 1:3). By faith we lay hold of every promise of God, believing for God’s manifestation and intervention, obtaining the treasure of eternal blessing found in Christ Jesus our Lord (Col 2:3). In prayer God augments our faith as truth grips our hearts, knowing that whatever we ask in his name shall be ours, bringing glory to the Father (John 14:13). Throu

In prayer we eat bread from heaven finding our soul’s joy and satisfaction (John 6:32-33). Through prayer we drink living water, experiencing everlasting life (John 4:10). Prayer is waiting in God’s presence, learning to know his assuring voice to better follow our Good Shepherd (John 10:47; see Ps 23). Prayer detaches us from worldly pursuits as our hearts are freed from idols (1 John 2:15; 5:21). We find our satisfaction in our intimacy with him, knowing that “in him …

In prayer we express thankfulness in all circumstances in obedience to God’s will (1 Thes 5:18). We pray with a thankful heart, knowing that God is at work for our good in all things (Rom 8:28). We pray with thankful assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God found in the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 8:35-39). Through prayer we express thankfulness from a grateful heart for every grace that comes down to us from the Father of the heavenly lights. In prayer we re

In humble prayer we confess our sins and our failures, seeking forgiveness from the holy God we have offended (Ps 51:4). As we seek forgiveness we forgive those who have sinned against us (Mat 6:12). We forgive others as we remember the forgiveness we receive for our constant failings (Eph 4:32). Prayer is clinging to the cross of Christ in humble repentance. It is in the place of confession that we find help for our infirmities and hope for the betterment our futures. We

As a child of God, prayer is the air we breathe; what our souls inhale and exhale––the oxygen of our being. It is the practice that gives us life and sustains our lives. Pray is our lifeline—our life support––our passport to heaven’s throne. Through prayer we contact our Creator and commune with our Savior. Prayer is a lifetime engagement until the time we see our Master face to face (1 John 3:2-3). Prayer is crying out to the only One who can save us and sanctify us (Ps. 120

“Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays” Soren Kierkegaard “To be a Cristian without prayer is not more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Martin Luther “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Paul the apostle First Meditation on Prayer: In Prayer We Worship the One Who is Worthy In Prayer we worship a Holy God—the One and only true God (Mat 6:9; see Ps 96:5). We join with all the heavenly host in worshipping the One