Pray Daily with Thanksgiving

 

     Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.  

We make disciples by teaching people to obey the commands of Christ. This sounds like a difficult if not unpleasant, responsibility. But Jesus, with great kindness and humility, says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Yes, obeying Jesus is a burden. But it is a light burden because our Lord is both gentle and humble in heart. When he walks beside us, obedience is not heavy. Instead of growing weary, we find rest for our souls. 

One of the seven basic commands of Jesus is to pray and feed on God’s word daily. But how should we pray? What times during the day should we pray? With whom should we pray? What should we say? What should we refrain from saying in our prayers? When it comes to prayer, new followers of Jesus have hearts full of these questions and more.  They may not ask all of them, but they are thinking about them. As a church planting disciple maker, you do not need to answer all of their questions at once. But you should teach them to pray just as Jesus taught his disciples to pray and Paul taught his. 

New disciples have many requests they want to ask of God. Some are bold and make their requests without reservation.  Some new disciples are timid and are afraid to ask God for anything. But both kinds of people can learn to pray with thanksgiving.  Paul told his disciples in Philippi, “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. (Philippians 4:6,7). 

So, teach new followers of Jesus to pray with thanksgiving. Before they ask God for anything, they can learn to thank him for every provision he has made.  His provisions are general, like the rain that falls on everyone’s fields and specific like the guidance he gives his children as we walk different paths.  

Teach your disciples to thank God for everything because every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). As they recall what God has done for them, their faith will grow. As they thank the Lord for his goodness, their joy will increase. As their heart fills with gratitude, their requests will line up more and more closely with the will of God for them in Christ Jesus. So, let gratitude overflow. Let thanksgiving be expressed in the morning, at noon and in the evening.   

As Psalm 100 says,  

Enter his gates with thanksgiving 

    and his courts with praise; 

    give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; 

    his faithfulness continues through all generations. 

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis, asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today? 

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #ThankTheLord