I love the Lord, for he heard my voice, he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
When I get up in the morning, I do try to make it a practice to do some of my praying first thing in the morning. It’s a good thing to talk to God before you start talking to anybody else.
Elisabeth Elliot
Just like the age old question, what comes first, the chicken or the egg? That same parallel principle might well be asked here. What does come first? Grace or gratitude? Because you can’t have one without the other. If you are a born-again Christian you have been given the grace of God through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. If you are a saved by faith believer you have been commanded by God to hone a heart of gratitude and with the right position of the heart…the mouth can speak out that grace-filled gratitude no matter what circumstances are facing you.
Expect Great Things From Our Great God
As believers it helps us immensely to get up early, drop to our knees, and pray before we even started talking to anyone else. We must ask God for the grace to handle our difficult seasons and then spend generous amounts of intentional energy thanking God for his many blessings despite the trials we face.
Speak Truth To Yourself And Others
This battle that we face can be summed up by two important life lessons that we must apply every day. First, what we say out loud to others (as well as think to ourselves) will powerfully affect how we are equipped to handle (by God’s grace) the difficult circumstances of life. Second, we can only respond with a refreshing, hope-filled heart of gratitude that is contagious to a watching world as we learn to put the full weight of our burdens onto the Lord every day, even every hour.
Take-Away Action Thought
When the difficulties overwhelm me and I begin to fall into emotional despair, I will remember to give thanks for God’s intimate knowledge of the situation and for his sovereign rule over all creation. My heart will be steadfast because of God’s great compassion on me and I will speak out verses that proclaim God’s perfect provision.
My Heart’s Cry to You, O Lord
Father, this situation I’m facing is breaking my heart. Day by day, I cry out to you for help and rescue and I am so thankful that I know you are attentive to my every prayer. Please help me to remember that the words I speak make a powerful difference in my heart attitude. Help me to speak forth words of hope-filled promise and to not spiral into emotional despair because I know that you are in control. Give me your grace to say my thanks even when the night is darkest because I trust in you as my redeemer and my deliverer. Amen.
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