Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Please allow Your Word to ring in our ears so we will thank You in every situation. Troubling times can come, and we wonder, “How can we be thankful in that situation?” You bring us contentment and thankfulness because Jesus’ forgiveness restored us to You, and we can come to You in prayer.
You take care of our every need. You are not some distant being who does not hear our pleas for help; instead, You know all our problems, hurts, and suffering; You answer our prayers. They may not be answered according to how we see fit, but You answer them according to our salvational needs.
According to Your plan of salvation, you removed the most significant problem we have: sin. You sent us Your one and only Son to suffer in our place. By faith in Jesus, our sins are removed, and we are restored to Your glory.
When we realize how great our sins are and how significant the punishment for us was, it is in this realization we are thankful to You because Jesus’ death restored us to Your eternal peace, not temporary worldly peace. So please send us Your Holy Spirit to guard our hearts and minds to always cling to You in faith.
We give You thanks, O God, for forgiving and restoring us to You; may we, out of love, share our reason for thanksgiving with those who do not know of Your mercy and grace so that they, too, will come to faith and be restored to You, not having to worry about anything because of Jesus. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
Give thanks to God, knowing how great of a gift he has given you in your salvation. That gift was bought with Jesus’ blood and righteousness.