Hi friend! Thanks for being here. We are talking about living a life of thankfulness this month. And last week we talked about intentionally entering the moments of our day with gratefulness. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to that episode I hope you’ll make some time to do that.

Today we are going to look at how living a life of prayer can help us in living a life of thankfulness.

1  Thessalonians 5:16-18

Let joy be your continual feast. Make your life a prayer. And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God's perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus.

“Make your life a prayer” reminds me of the scripture that says “pray without ceasing” Which is a verse that used to really confuse me.  Especially the days as a young mother and a house full of kids and life felt stuck in a non-stop motion. 

I think the reason this idea of praying without stopping seemed so out of reach was, I was viewing prayer as me being in a quiet, solemn moment, connecting with God. 

And not that those moments aren’t needed and beautiful. They are wonderful!  But if we are always waiting for those uninterrupted moments in our lives we are continually missing out on moments of prayer and connection with God.

As a follower of Christ, our lives are with God, in Christ. The Holy Spirit is a constant presence in our lives. We are never alone. In any moment or situation, we can draw strength and peace from the spirit of God.

This means this connection can happen sitting at your desk in a crowded office or with a baby on your lap and other children running laps around the house… wherever you find yourself …he is there.

You can take a deep breath and take in the goodness of all that he is and rise above and chaos and circumstances you might be in.

This is living a life of prayer.

Recognizing his presence in the moments of your every day.

Looking to his strength and guidance to strengthen and energize you and lead you.

Giving thanks to him for who is and who he is in your life in that very moment.

This isn’t positive thinking or denying the reality of a particular circumstance.

It is however in whatever situation recognizing God’s power and authority and being thankful and confident in who He is and that He is never letting go of you or changing.

So here’s this week's challenge:

When you find yourself in moments this week where you feel frustration or negative thoughts or emotions rising up. Right there in that moment set your heart and mind on the presence of God and thank him for who he is and see where that goes….

Because I have found that in that moment of me stepping out in faith his power and presence meet me in my faith and move my heart and mind and thinking forward.

Let’s pray!

Father thank you for your faithfulness to us.

Help us this week as we are choosing to live a life of prayer and inviting you into the moments of our day.

We are so grateful for your never-ending love for us.

We love you and 

Are looking to you

always!