Joyful – Prayerful – Thankful
Just over two years ago, I became more of a thankful person that I had ever been before. I remember it very clearly. Luke, my youngest son, had fallen over 40’ from a tree the day before. He had been flown to Atlanta Medical Center for injuries sustained from the fall. The fall happened around 3:30 PM and the next day around 1 PM, he was walking out of the hospital with some facial injuries, but his own. We came home to Carrollton and dropped off his prescriptions at the Kroger Pharmacy and I drove to the tree he fell from. I remember that feeling of being overwhelmed with gratitude that he was alive and well. We all put our hands on the tree and around each other and thanked the Lord. My life was profoundly impacted that day with gratitude. I don’t ever want to complete another day on this earth without being thankful for all that the Lord has done and is doing in my life.
Paul gives the church at Thessalonica some sound counsel about walking and living out their faith in the Lord. Check this out….
15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:15-22 NLT)
I believe that joy, prayer and thankfulness are inner connected. I believe that joy and thankfulness are a direct result of prayer. I am still learning to pray about everything. That word everything is an all-inclusive word. There are no exceptions – I will pray about the little stuff and the big stuff. I will pray about the mundane choices of food or purchases at the store. I will pray for wisdom and discernment, but I will also pray about what I wear and who I meet. I want to walk with the Lord in such a way that every detail of my life is being discussed with Him prior to it taking place. I want to be full of joy, profoundly prayerful and forever grateful no matter what circumstance I find myself in.
Pressing On!
Dwayne