THANKFUL PRAYING

After having read just a few books on our indigenous peoples, one message rings out loud and clear... be grateful for the gifts from the Creator.

An attitude of gratitude, as well as informing one's active life, can also permeate one's prayer life.

Let me explain.

For years, I have been praying in the same old petitionary way, that is, lifting up my thoughts and best wishes for this person or that intention.

Sound familiar?

In some ways, it reminds me of throwing up a Hail Mary pass and hoping it lands in the hand of a open receiver at the other end of the field. 

I'm realizing that prayer can be so much more than the repetition of a shopping list of intentions. 

A short passage from a little meditation book by Sarah Young says it well. 

"When you bring God your prayer requests, lay out your concerns before Him. Speak to God candidly; pour out your heart. Then thank Him for the answers that He has set into motion long before you can discern results. When your requests come to mind again, continue to thank God for the answers that are on the way. If you keep on stating your concerns to God, you will live in a state of tension. When you thank Him for how He is answering your prayers, your mind-set becomes more positive. Thankful prayers keep your focus on God's presence and His promises."

Focusing on being thankful for the answer to a prayer, for being appreciative that a master plan is in the works, makes the entire prayer experience something filled with possibilities.

It's a bit counter intuitive at first, thanking for something as we ask for it, but Jesus was never about doing things in conventional ways. 

I hope you give it a try. 

It does take a giant leap of faith, but then again, isn't that what prayer is all about?