And he spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to
pray, and not to faint.” – Luk
18:1
An oft-quoted line says, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.
When it comes to the prayer style of Jesus, it amazing how banal the first
lesson is: thanksgiving.
But this is vital and indicative of Jesus’ success.
When He had only 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed 5,000 men (plus an
unspecified number of women and children), He first gave thanks, (Joh 6:11).
When He was faced with the 4-day old corpse of Lazarus, He gave thanks (Joh
11:41).
And at the Last Supper, just before He inaugurated the Eucharist, He
gave thanks, (Mat 26:27).
Thanksgiving and blessing the Father was never far from His lips.
Thanksgiving is more than the canned recitation of the obligatory “names
of God” before we go into the REAL prayer; it’s an attitude and a mindset of
total surrender and total persuasion that God is in control.
1Th 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks” and Eph 5:20 tells us
to “give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ.” (NLTse).
In one of his most memorable passages, Paul ties the whole act of prayer
with thanksgiving when he says, “in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Php 4:6).
So when next you pray, think about how much time you spend thanking God,
and how much importance you place to the thanksgiving. Let’s stop seeing
Thanksgiving as the prelude to the prayer – it IS prayer.
AMEN.
More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.
GREG ELKAN
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